


The Story Never Told

by MJayne2004



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-10-30 06:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17823551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MJayne2004/pseuds/MJayne2004
Summary: When Evie, Ben, Jay and Carlos return to the Isle Of The Lost with the aim of getting Mal back, Evie is the first one to talk to her sister. Mal refuses to leave the Isle Of The Lost and so, when Uma, Harry and Gil “kidnap” -for lack of a better term- Mal for the opportunity to have a friendly chat, Evie and the boys strive to have their sister back.The Isle is a dangerous place and when Mal talks to Uma and rebuilds the friendship that was previously broken, she invites the three pirates to Auradon where we learn the two past between the group of teenagers and how that will change the events of Cotillion.See what happens when events change and friendships are revealed.





	1. “Please come home”

The cold wind nibbled at the teenagers exposed skin as Jay and Carlos walked down the dimly lit alleyways of the Isle of The Lost, with Ben and Evie quickly trailing behind them as the group headed towards the VK's previous hideout in the centre of the island. The young king played with the gold beast ring -that Mal had returned to him when she ran back to the Isle Of The Lost- with a hint of sadness as he walked beside Evie, whose chocolate brown eyes had glazed over with unshed tears as she tightened her leather jacket around her. Ben looked up at the blue-haired princess, gently taking the girls shaky hand in his own while she quickly looked up at him, stopping in the middle of the deserted alleyway as a feeling of security washed over the princess. She had never truly felt 'safe' on the Isle of the Lost -with danger lurking around every corner, it was nearly impossible to find a place where Evie could be safe, especially when her mother's minions roamed the alleyways frequently- but here, holding Ben's hand as he reassuringly squeezed it, she knew that even though she was on the island that caused her so much pain and sorrow, she was safe with her friends; new and old.

 

Ben smiled kindly at the princess before wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug, which she gladly returned as she placed her head in the crook of his neck and signed in contentment while her eyes continued to fill with tears which were becoming more and more painful to hide. She was always the brave one -maybe not with fighting or arguing- but with her emotions in check and hidden behind the mask Evie wore well every day, she was able to command a whole rooms attention with her confidence and strength, something everyone, even Mal on some days, was envious of. Evie did have her weaknesses of course, but she wore them behind the metal armour of her intelligence and her strength and the simple act of making her friends happy -making Mal smile, Carlos laugh or Jay grin proudly- was enough to seal any cracks that may have formed over time due to her mothers teachings.

 

However, Evie knew that she had flaws no one but herself could see -flaws everyone thought were beautiful when in reality, they were what made her life a living hell for almost sixteen long and painful years- and one of those flaws was that she always held her emotions in, especially her negative emotions. Now, Evie was not weak -no, she was anything _but-_ but when things happened to her friends and family, she was often inconsolable when the event had passed due to her inability to talk about her emotions when she was upset. Ben knew that the only person who could help the blue-haired princess, was currently the person they had come to recuse -well, Mal was anything but a damsel in distress but rescued seemed like the correct word for Ben to use.

 

"Evie-"

 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Evie apologised as she pulled away from the tight hug, quickly wiping away the large tears that had reluctantly started to form in the corners of her chocolate coloured eyes. "I know that with everything happening right now -with the press who constantly want to talk to you and Mal, Mal leaving Auradon and Cotillion coming up- your really stressed and my tears most likely aren't helping you but..." Evie hesitated as she finished wiping her eyes and instead, rested her hands on the tops of the opposite arms, hugging herself tightly against the cold air of the island. "I'm scared. I'm scared that she won't come back. I'm scared that something bad has already happened to her. I'm scared that she won't want to see any of us again. Ben, what happens if I don't see her again" Evie exclaimed as her eyes widened, "My sister will not stay on this island because I was too caught up in my new Auradonian life to notice her breaking. I am supposed to be her best friend, her confidant, her _sister_ and yet I didn't realise something was wrong the minute my sister went from purple hair to blond hair with purple tips. How did I not see it?" Evie asked rhetorically

 

"None of us saw it Evie" Carlos interrupted from where he and Jay were stood, just a few steps away from the young king and blue-haired princess. "No one is to blame because none of us saw what was happening now. You can't let it bring you down because you are smart, thoughtful, intelligent and remarkably caring for everything and everyone but no one more than Mal. What we need to focus on now is getting Mal home so we can work all this out" Carlos added reassuringly as Jay and Ben nodded in agreement, turning back to face the daughter of the Evil Queen who signed quietly.

 

"I still should have seen it. I shouldn't have been so dumb" Evie argued.

 

"You are not dumb Evie and you know that" Jay responded with a raised eyebrow as the blue-haired princess shook her head, her blue locks of hair following her movements. "You have worked too hard in the past six months to still believe your mother's teachings"

 

"But I am, aren't I?" Evie asked incredulously, ignoring the concerned filled glances by Carlos and Ben. "My mothers right, I should have just stayed here when I had the chance. You all would be okay and somebody would have seen Mal break before she left instead of listening to me when I told her that she was okay. I was the one who told her that she was fine, that Auradon was the land of opportunity and that we shouldn't waste it no matter what" Evie laughed dryly as she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "My mother always told me that I was a little girl who didn't listen to anyone and was an idiot. I have spent so long trying to prove her wrong and yet at the first challenge to do so, I failed because I was too busy trying to help other people who aren't my friends to see that the person who has actually been by my side for the past couple of years has been breaking under the pressure to be perfect; a pressure I put on her! Since when is a dress for a stupid party more important than my own sister!" Evie exclaimed with a sign.

 

"You know that's not true-" Ben started nervously. The only person who could ever calm Evie down when she got like this -frustrated and angry with herself which transformed into terrible memories from her past with her mother which, in turn, delayed Evie's recovery from the horrid conditions of the barrier-surrounded island the Rotten Four used to call home- was in fact the purple-haired teenager they had come to return back to Auradon. Mal was the only one who could reach Evie when her mind started to wonder this far away from its normal state because Mal was the only one who truly understood how far the Evil Queen's torments went. Sure, Jay and Carlos knew the basics of Evie's home life on the island as they went through similar things with their families but it was Mal the princess relied on when her devilish nightmares became too real or when her mother's lectures became too much for the blue-haired princess to deal with.

 

Mal was the one who the teenager tightly cuddled up to, her hands trembling and her eyes full of unshed tears as she silently lay closer to her best friend, not wanting to wake up the two sleeping boys who were also in the room. The girls were closer than anything and were unable to be separated -not that anyone tried on the Isle, they were too afraid of what the daughter of Maleficent and equally the daughter of the Evil Queen would do to them if they hurt the other- and therefore, relied on one another in times of need. Evie was the only one that could calm down Mal and Mal was the only one who could possibly calm down Evie. Even when the two girls moved to Auradon and meet new people -like Ben, Doug, Lonnie, Jane and Audrey- who they grew close too and began to love like a second family, they never lost the bond between them that truly solidified the two Isle girl's relationship into the sands of time.

 

"Evie!" Carlos exclaimed, interrupting the young king who looked quiet thankful at the prospect of not having to calm the blue-haired teenager down. "Jay, go talk to Mal through the speaker, now" Carlos ordered the thief, who nodded quickly and with one last glance at his blue-haired best friend, ran through the alley and towards the hideout just a few moments away. The son of Cruella reached forward and pulled his best friend into a tight now, his hand resting at the back of Evie's head as the princess nuzzled her head into her best friend's shoulder while large tears began to refill within her chocolate brown eyes. Ben went to follow Jay in order to give the two VK's a moment alone with one another considering the vulnerable spark in Evie's eyes as she signed heavily into Carlos's embrace, but the young king was meet with a delicate hand shooting out and grabbing him before he could leave. The son of Belle and Adam looked up from the dirty street of the alley to see Evie's eyes that were once the colour of hot cocoa with sprinkles of tiny flecks of gold like the mini marshmallows Ben remembers eating as a child while he read a book, but were now the duly and lifeless color often associated with people who have lost their entire life in a single swing of a sword.

 

And so, ignoring the pang of guilt that erupted in the pit of Ben's stomach at the loss of the beautiful spark in Evie's eyes of which he had grown so accompanied too, Ben entwined his fingers with Evie's and squeezed the princess's hand reassuringly while he looked around the small and enclosed alley they were stood in. Carlos smiled thankfully at the young king before rubbing Evie's back with his unused hand, whispering soft things into his best friend's ear as she shook like a leaf in a thunderstorm while in his arms. It scared Carlos to see his usually strong and independent best friend turn into someone he hardly recognised -someone whose eyes no longer sparkled like a thousand stars or whose smile didn't seem to radiate with the same happiness it once did- and became something utterly strange. Evie always stood out -her bright smile was infectious and her eyes shined with the prospect of an adventure that even the most cautious of humans could not pass up- and yet she now looked like every other miserable soul trapped within the confines of the barrier; their eyes dull without the possibility of hope and their smiles no longer vibrant and happy. It unnerved Carlos now after a single doubt caused a series of events that Evie had no control over, Evie now looked like the poor and unfortunate souls still condemned within the magical confines of the island. _It just didn't seem right,_ Carlos thought.

 

The large metal staircase which connected to the corner building of the alleyway, overlooking the dirty streets filled with untrustworthy sellers as they stood next to their stools filled with previously stolen items, soon came into Jay's view. The building itself was broken and unused by the people of the island due to its static placement among the other buildings of the island that made it too revealing for many of the main villains to be comfortable with but that fact alone meant that it was the perfect home-away-from-home for the four children since they were young kids, running around the streets of the island to get away from their revenge-crazed parents. The three-story building meant that the teenagers could live in a comfort not most people on the Isle Of The Lost could afford, with the bottom floor being closed off with the doors and windows boarded up with lines of strong metal forged by one of Evie's secret alliances, the group of teenagers didn't ask questions about who the secret friends were as they weren't sure Evie wanted them to know, but the blue-haired teenager made sure that the metal was not iron due to Mal's half-fairy heritage -Evie couldn't bear the thought of Mal getting hurt due to her idea and orders about the safety features on the bottom level of the home.

 

The middle floor was an area for the four teenagers to heal safely behind closed doors without the fear of resembling the weak people they were often reminded off -Mal remembered all the times she was related to her father and so could Evie with her own father, who was a man without title or fortune who acted as a reminder for Evie of who not to marry- with large sofers pushed against the walls and a small but comfortable kitchen that stretched to the length of the level and was accessible by a curved doorway in the centre of the wall which then led into the living room and hobby room that were connected by similar walkways as the kitchen, were large eseals stood proudly with half-finished works of art and tables with handmade jewellery for the teenagers to use. Punching bags and tables of technology also joined the eseals in the room, matching each one of the teenager's personalities along with the paintings which littered the living and hobby area.

 

The main room was the most visited place of the three teenagers and split into three sectors, with Jay and Carlos's separate rooms being on the east side of the long, rectangular room and the main room has a similar layout to the boys rooms, with copies of the teenagers beds pushed diagonal into the corner of the room and the walls covered with beautiful pictures painted by the daughter of Maleficent. The rooms west of the main room belonged to Mal and Evie, the two girls sharing beautifully large rooms that overlooked the island and, seen through Evie's bedroom windows mainly, the Castle Across The Way that was were Evie and her mother lived, a place cold and full of cobwebs. The windows at the top of the building were not boarded with iron, allowing the teenagers clear views of the outside island and the beautifully clear water surrounded the outside of the barrier and the kingdom on the mainland, a place the teenagers used to wish to visit, not knowing that their dreams would come true thanks to the young kings proclamation.

 

Jay signed in relief as he pushed himself up from the metal railings of the staircase and entered the main room of the hideout after finding the secret key left behind the hollow gap in the wall, covered shyly by a thin brick to stop it being detected by anyone foolish enough to try and break into the teenagers hideout. Pushing open the door in complete silence -a feat only possible by applying the correct amount of pressure in the correct positions, another safety feature for the building- Jay walked into the room and down the stairs of the small entrance room, that had a couple of steps to take the welcomed guests into the main room whenever someone came into the homes so he could see Jay spray painting the back wall in complete silence.

 

The first thing he noticed was her hair and not because it was the boring blond she used to try and convince the world that she was an Auradonian princess, no because jay saw right through that facade and instead forced himself to see the girl she was trying to destroy. He only regretted three things in his life and sadly, all of those related to not being able to help his friends -one being that he never believed that he helped Carlos enough against his mother, despite Carlos saying otherwise, one being that he was unable to show Evie her true intelligence and show her that her mother was wrong and now the most recent regret; not being able to help Mal when she was so clearly broken and in need of someone, anyone, seeing her for who she truly was. In a way, Jay was glad that Mal had dyed her hair back to its natural colour -it made her look more...her in his opinion and the ex-thief silently promised himself that he would always look after his sister from now on, no matter the cost- but he hated the idea that she had to have it done somewhere as horrid and evil as the Isle of The Lost.

 

If Jay had taken the time to look closely at Mal he might have noticed that she had also changed her outfit and no longer wore the pale pink and light blue dresses she so hated while on the island but the ex-thief didn't care about Mal's clothes -he didn't care about the clothes because he only cared about her and wanted her safe despite the evilness that was still in the world- and so he quickly walked into the room, calling Mal's name as the teenager turned around to face him quickly, a shocked look etched into her features until they shifted into ones of stone. "Jay, why are you here? I specifically said that I was to be allowed to stay here alone and-" Mal started, her tone empty of any emotion that Jay could use to decipher her true emotions.

 

"It's Evie" Jay exclaimed, watching carefully as Mal's eyes filled with several emotions but the main ones -anger, sadness and a clear want for revenge on anyone who had hurt her sister- became clearer over time which was only a few seconds before Mal walked forward and placed her hands firmly on the top of Jay's arms, looking into his eyes pointedly.

 

"What happened to my sister?" Mal spoke clearly and punctured each word with an angry sign, unable to stop the rage from bubbling within his veins at the prospect of someone hurting her sister while she was away from them. Jay knew how much Mal loved her sister and the idea that Evie had been hurt by anyone made Jay's blood run cold much like Mal's but he also knew that Mal was the most protective out of the whole group when it came to Evie so the reaction of the purple-haired teenager was completely understandable for the ex-thief.

 

"It's bad, worse then last time" Jay started to explain, ignoring the widened eyes of his best friend as Mal took her hands off of Jay's arms and started to pace across the room, running her fingers through her newly-dyed purple hair in frustration and sadness. "I won't go into detail -it's up to Evie about how much she wants you to know because you know how she is- but it's really bad, worse than anything we ever faced when she was with her mother. Please, Mal, help her. Talk to her. Make sure she doesn't break" Jay pleaded as Mal spun around quickly, her eyes wide with disbelief as she huffed.

 

"You think I don't want to help her?" Mal asked incredulously, "I would do _anything_ for her and if anyone thinks differently I will gladly prove them wrong by giving that girl the world because she deserves that much and more but...I can't help her with this" Mal signed in defeat. "If I go back and help her, as selfish as it sounds, I will not be able to leave again. I need you to go back to her and make sure that she is okay like what I used to do" Mal ordered, "Make sure she eats and has plenty of water and calms down but firstly, get her off of this island. Now"

 

"Is that an order from my queen or a request from my friend?" Jay asked.

 

"It is a request from a person who is currently faced with two very different but equally important decisions that could make or break a lot of people, myself and you included" Mal stated, her eyes full of determination as she raised her head up high, allowing her emerald green eyes to stare into Jay's deep brown ones. "My sister, _our_ sister, is currently Zeus only knows where on this island going through what can only be described as a mental breakdown and you know how she gets after those...episodes" Mal's voice softened as the conversation turned towards the blue-haired princess's response to times like these -times where she felt too weak and vulnerable to do anything about it- and she knew that Jay had softened too.

 

They both only wanted what was best for their family and after all the hardships they faced upon making sure that they survived together on the island, neither Mal or Jay was about to let the group of friends - _of family_ \- deteriorate without a fight. They both loved Evie and Carlos and they both could agree that the two's happiness and safety along with the other one was the closest thing the teenagers held to their hearts for many years and the very idea of someone hurting Evie or Carlos sent the two VK's into immense anger at the very thought of being unable to save the two other group members. But it was times like these where the two friends clashed heads.

 

Mal always believed that, while she may care for Evie, she was unable to provide the human care the teenager needed whenever something like this happened and therefore, unsuitable to care for the blue-haired princess anywhere other than out fighting on the streets of the Isle Of The Lost. It did not diminish the love Mal felt for her sister neither dull the rage she felt when Evie was hurt but the thought stayed with Mal whenever Evie begged for her to be by her side, to hold her and look after her for one reason or another. Jay, however, knew that Mal never let her fear of saying the wrong thing or acting the wrong way stop her from wrapping her arms around their sister as she cried -Jay could always rely on Mal being the first one to do so, even before Carlos or Jay could even know what had happened in the first place because the sheer sight of the tears rolling down Evie's pale cheeks and the horsed whisper of the teenager begging for her sister was enough for Mal to develop an over-protective feeling around the princess. Jay knew Mal cared about their sister -he could see it in her eyes that she was scared for her- and he knew that one way or another, the day would end with Mal breaking and rushing to her sister, arms wide open as Evie pleaded to be wrapped in her sisters loving embrace once more.

 

"She won't leave alone, you know she won't. I left once and this is what is happening in response and if I go back, it means I will leave for a second time" Mal continued, her voice remaining its cold and distant self as she stared at her best friend -her brother- in deep thought. "And you know I am too weak of a person to watch her break over and over again and I patch her up just so I can leave and the cycle continues until each one of us is exhausted. I will not put her through that pain, not again, so either deal with it yourself and make sure that she is okay or...or find someone who can"

 

"She won't go with anyone else but you, and you know that" Jay began.

 

"And I also know that I can not go back to her!" Mal interrupted, "You know how much I love her -as if she is my own true blooded sister- because you feel the same so go back to her and help her and leave. Leave the island and tell her to not come after me, tell her that...I order her to not come back here for me. By order of her queen" Mal signed.

 

"You know that she won't listen to that" Jay laughed softly, "You were the one to tell her that you and she were equals and equals don't take orders from the other. You know how determined she is and anyway, she would find a loophole out of that order, _you_ were the one who trained her" Jay pointed out. "And you trained her well. We are family and family do not start taking orders from one another because the other think's they are doing what is right and Evie is the most determined one out of all of us. She knows how much family means to us -to me, Carlos and you- and she won't let it slip out of her grasp because you were scared to make a mistake. You may not see it Mal, but this family would not be complete with you"

 

"You have to promise me that she will leave this island as soon as possible" Mal raised her eyebrow, her face otherwise remaining emotionless as she watched Jay shake his head at her words. She knew she was being cold and evil -like her mother always wanted her to be- but if she saw Evie, saw the girl break down and cry in her arms like she had many times before, she knew that she would not be able to leave all over again. Maybe it was the Auradonian part in her or maybe it was a part of her she always had been rarely expressed but despite its origins, the only thing Mal wanted was for Evie to be safe and secure and the teenager viewed herself as the last place where her sister was truly safe from emotional harm. If Mal continued to keep on going back to her sister, she knew that Evie would be in constant danger from enemies on the island that would use her to get to Mal.

 

"Okay, since I tried being nice how about I put this differently" Jay suggested as he walked closer to the daughter of Maleficent and placed one of his arms around hers in a loose hug, his other hand being used to gently move the teenagers chin so Jay could see the daughter of Maleficent's small smile as she leaned into his touch. "You are not only Evie's sister but mine as well and let's just forget about everything that's currently happening and focus on the fact that you are doubting your own instincts with someone you have known your whole life. You know that you are the only one Evie even remotely listens too so if you don't help us, Zeus only knows how Evie will react further"

 

"I can't do it, Jay" Mal muttered, "I can't help her and then leave again"

 

"Mal, Evie didn't have the time to say goodbye to her sister because, by the time she figured out that something was wrong, you had already left" Jay started with a small but reassuring smile, "I'm not blaming you but a proper goodbye from her sister is the one thing Evie needs right now and it would help if it was from that sister instead of me. Please, all I'm asking is for you to help us before you stay on the island or whatever your plan is"

 

"What about Carlos? Won't I have to speak to him too?" Mal asked softly.

 

"Yea, maybe, and Ben too but we will be right by your side" Jay promised as he cupped Mal's cheek, rubbing his thumb against her pale skin as she leaned into his touch and signed in contentment. She knew he was correct -that she had to face her family at some point and delaying it would never do anyone any favours- but that didn't seem to get rid of the pain of leaving her friends and family in Auradon while she lived on the Isle of The Lost. Mal understood the reasons she left Auradon -she could no longer stand acting in a way that was not herself- but she also knew that she had millions of reasons to stay in the beautiful kingdom. All her family were there and happy -Evie owned her business, Carlos could design all the technology his heart had ever wished for and Jay was able to truly work on a team for the goal of having fun, not stealing or stabbing someone in the back- and Mal had even made new friends that she now could no longer imagine her life without like Jane and Lonnie and Audrey. She had people who cared about her wellbeings like Queen Belle and King Adam and who valued her opinions like Fairy Godmother and overall, Mal found that her life had become so much better in Auradon then she ever imagined on the Isle of The Lost.

 

And maybe that's why she left. Maybe she got scared when everyone suddenly started to be nice to her and she realised that she only knew how to be cruel and wicked to people and it scared her. Maybe she was scared when everyone seemed to be settling into Auradon lifestyle so perfectly while she still flinched when someone other than her family held her hand or called her name too loudly. Or maybe, Mal was afraid of the new land which, while it held many great opportunities for her and her friends, held many unknown dangers that lurked within the shadows; for even the lightest of places have them. She wasn't exactly sure what the main reason was for her leaving Auradon apart from the pressing problem of the paparazzi which was one that could have easily been solved if she had spoken to Ben or Evie or anyone about it so that didn't seem like a good enough reason, but nonetheless, Mal felt the closest to home she had ever been since leaving the Isle of The Lost all those months ago.

 

"Mal! Jay!" The microphone in the corner of the small entrance room erupted into life by the worried sound of Carlos's voice which broke Mal out of her thoughts as she looked back at Jay who signed and nodded at the daughter of Maleficent before moving towards the microphone. Mal followed the ex-thief's movements but leant against the doorframe with concern filling her eyes as Jay reached for the device Carlos and Evie made and pulled in down, greeting the boy with a short 'hello' that made Carlos sign in relief on the other side of the line. "There you two are, we have been waiting for ages" Carlos signed in relief before continuing, "Evie fell asleep of exhaustion and it would be a lot safer for her to be up there instead of down here so can you, Jay, ask Mal to help or-?"

 

"Bring her up, Carlos" Mal ordered softly, sharing a small smile with Jay as the ex-thief signed in relief. "Bring Ben up too as I am only just now getting informed that you two decided to bring the king of all of Auradon onto the Isle of The Lost" Mal raised an eyebrow at Jay who smiled sheepishly and laughed softly at the accusation, "But you stay on the second level, let me look after while you three look after each other. I want you all rested perfectly fine before you go home, alright? No one worries and just relax" Mal ordered kindly over the crackling of the microphone.

 

"Okay" Carlos agreed without hesitation. He had guessed that would have been Mal's first command for him and Ben to do while she looked after Evie because no matter what, Carlos was still her brother and Ben was still her boyfriend - _maybe boyfriend_ , her mind reminded her sourly- and she cared about them enough to want their comfort. Not many people were allowed into the building, especially the first and second levels so it was a true testament to how far Mal had grown to love over the span of time in which her three friends had come into her life.

 

"Jay" Mal directed her attention to the ex-thief in front of her, "Go downstairs and get Evie, bring her up here while Carlos and Ben get settled in the second level and once you bring Evie here, you can join them. I know how difficult this is and I will make sure that everything we have talked about will be handled before you leave" Mal finished with a sign as Jay nodded in agreement.

 

"Alright, I'll go get her and make sure that everything is alright"

 

* * *

Mal signed softly as she ran her fingers through Evie's hair while the princess slept comfortably in her own bed in the corner of the main room, surrounded by beautiful pieces of fabric that draped from the ceiling to give the bed better privacy from the surrounding room. The blue-haired princess curled further into her best friend's embrace as a look of panic and pain overtook Evie's features and her head began softly shaking within Mal's lap, a clear sign of a nightmare overtaking the princess's calm sleep. Mal slowly moved Evie to lie on her side as she moved to lie beside the princess, her forehead resting gently on Evie's as she wrapped her arms around the princess and pulled her closer, whispering soft things into the girl's ear as Mal tried to wake her sister. "Hey, princess, it's okay. Nothing is wrong, I promise you that everything will be okay but you need to wake up. Princess, you need to wake up, everything will be fine" Mal softly mumbled as she ran her fingers through the back of Evie's hair, continuing the soft mumbles until the crease in between Evie's eyebrows and the pain-etched lines around Evie's nose and mouth decreased into nothingness.

 

Chocolate brown eyes suddenly shot open as Evie's breathing became laboured and her eyes raced across Mal's features while the purple-haired teenager pulled her closer in a reassuring but soft grip. Evie wrapped her arms around her best friend and hugged her closer and for a moment -a blissful moment empty of pain or heartache about the recent events- she forgot that she was on the Isle Of The Lost and instead, focused on the feeling of each other as Evie tried to calm down from her nightmare. Evie felt like she was back in Auradon with her sister, who always cared about her enough to drop the barriers she put up and instead help her for whatever reason she needed the help for. She knew the despite the past events Mal still cared about her like they did when they were on the Isle of The Lost and expected the reassuring awaking from her sister the moment her dreams started to taint with horrid images of her past and a lonely future.

 

"I got you, I got you" Mal whispered reassuringly as Evie cuddled closer to her, unable to stop the shivers which ran through her body as she thought at her night terror. She had had many fights with the night and its companions since the early stages of her childhood but someone was always around to help her, to hold her tightly as she shook violently and tried to dismiss the horrid images from her memory. She couldn't remember when but at some point Evie gave up trying to forget the images and instead embraced them, using them as an armour against the world that was determined to though even worse at her in hopes of her falling -she never did because she learnt to handle it and instead, use it as a weapon against her fearest of enemies. "Tell me what's wrong, I promise I will sort it out. I will protect you against anything, you know that and that includes dreams and nightmares that will never come true or happen again" Mal promised with a reassuring smile, watching as Evie stopped shaking in her arms and started to relax.

 

"I was just thinking about all this. It's nothing" Evie replied.

 

"About me, leaving. About all this and the Isle" Mal guessed as Evie slowly nodded, causing the purple-haired teenager to sigh loudly before running her fingers through the back of the princess's hair, watching as Evie smiled and moved closer to her sister so her head was resting in the curve of her shoulders. "You don't need to worry about anything _and_ should defiantly not be thinking about your mother. You are not like her or anything like what she called you, -you are so much more than a housewife and you know that. You are smart, caring and beautiful and your mother must be blind to not be able to see that" Mal reassured her.

 

"Then why did you leave? Why did I let you leave?" Evie asked, her voice full of vulnerability as she nuzzled her head further into the curve of Mal's neck for protection from the harsh lights in the room, smiling softly as the sweet smell of strawberries and lavender invaded her nose, the same smell that never seemed to leave the purple-haired teenager since she arrived in Auradon almost six months ago. And even though Evie knew that the lavender smell had come from herself -due to it being her favourite sent since arriving on the mainland,- because she and Mal had spent so much time together, smiling, giggling and enjoying themselves as they basked in the soft glow of Auradon's sun or moon, that the two girl's perfume had merged into one. Despite the fact that the sent of the plant was on almost all of Evie's and Mal's clothes, the blue-haired teenager knew that it smelt better than all of her other expensive perfumes because of who the aroma was linked too; her sister.

 

"You know that no one could stop me from leaving" Mal signed in response causing Evie to copy her actions and let out a loud, tired sign into the curve of her best friend's neck. Mal knew that her best friend was not actually tired -she had slept almost nine hours the previous night, a world record for the blue-haired teenager and the princess had had her morning cup of tea or coffee, Mal could never remember which one or the difference but now that she thought about it, she could swear that the teenager had hot chocolate instead, which would have made her perfectly refreshed and fit to take on the day- but she _was_ tired of the recent events and the mental stress they had put on her. "I had to leave, you know I did"

 

"No" Evie muttered before she pushed her self up from her position, resting on her arm as she looked down at Mal who hadn't moved. She knew what Evie was going to say and how she would have to respond and it seemed like the best thing was for Mal to let Evie express all of her emotions then speak. She didn't know who it was best for -herself or Evie- but a small part of her knew the answer. _Stop being so selfish_ , Mal's mind screamed but she couldn't find the energy to move or argue her case until Evie had stopped talking. "No, we all have a choice to do something -yes or no, left or right, fight or flight- and you choose to leave. You always told me I have a choice -to be better than the idiot my mother wanted me to be and actually do something with my life apart from marrying a prince and be a housewife for the rest of my days- and yet the minute you had a choice of whether to tell someone about whatever was happening with you or to ignore it, you choose the third option and left" Evie added as Mal nodded in agreement.

 

"Yes, okay I left" Mal agreed, "I left you and Jay and Carlos alone in a new kingdom we barely know anything about -something I promised all of you I would never do- but I had a reason. If I broke over there -if I turned evil again because the pressure got too much and I ended up boing something wrong- you and the boys would instantly be labelled targets and criminals of the state just for your connection with me. And I know Ben would try and stop it, to prove to the council that you are good people who are nothing like me, but the council won't see that because they still believe in the old fashioned views of 'once a villain, always a villain'. I couldn't stay in Auradon -knowing I would break- if it could endanger you or the boy's future there" At some point in Mal's explanation, the teenager had sat up and crossed her legs, setting in front of Evie -who still hadn't moved- as she nervously played with her conjoined hands.

 

"You can't have more faith in people?"

 

"I'm through with having faith in people who only see me as a villain, my mother's daughter" Mal argued back bitterly, her eyes softening as Evie raised an eyebrow at her tone. She knew what that meant -that Evie was surprised to hear that tone and therefore, didn't want their current conversation to turn into an argument, especially if Evie failed in her plan and Mal's stayed on the Isle Of The Lost which could very well make these their last moments- and Mal instantly lowed her voice into a soft tone that still determined, well Evie knew that only a fool could believe that they could get rid of Mal's determination by a single eyebrow raise. "Why have faith in people who are going to just stab me in the back? I learnt my lesson and I am never going back there, I can't go back there"

 

"So, you're leaving Auradon because you were scared that people wouldn't accept you?" Evie asked incredulously, "Mal, I have to go through the same thing every day -you really think people are happy that the daughter of the Evil Queen works so closely with the King of Auradon, especially after my mother's history with killing men of power to gain status?- but I just ignore them. I know that you, Carlos, Jay, Ben, Lonnie, Jane, heck even Audrey, see the real me and that's all I need in life. If you go through life thinking that you need everyone to like you for you, then your going to miss out on life itself. All you need are a few honest and kind people, Mal, and then you're lucky in life." Evie added as she reached over and took one of Mal's hand in her own, squeezing it reassuringly as the two locked eyes, "Like I am"

 

"It's not that easy" Mal argued

 

"Why?" Evie asked causing Mal to stumble.

 

"W-what?"

 

"Why can't you just ignore them? Why must you always look at the negative side of things when the positives in life are so much better? Why leave a beautiful kingdom because of a few people's opinions?" Evie asked sarcastically, "I know it's not just 'a few people' who are saying these things but it might as well be because it isn't important. You promised us all that we will be together in Auradon, happy, without worry, and yet it seems like you can't get away from the feeling of someone getting ready to stab us in the back"

 

"No" Mal exclaimed, "No, I can't get rid of that feeling because that has kept _you_ alive" Mal explained softly as she squeezed Evie's hands in her own. "You see the world in rainbows and sunflowers and I have been forced to see it in shades of hatred and greed and I am so happy that you are happy in this world but that doesn't get rid of the fact that I will always look over my shoulder. Waiting for something to happen because that is what I have known my entire life"

 

"You can't take a break?" Evie asked softly, "I am so tired of seeing you in pain. If I can put this behind me, why can't you? I just want you to be happy and Auradon is the best place for that. Please, Mal, please just come home" Evie begged as small tears began to fill her deep brown eyes.

 

"I-I can't" Mal stuttered as she gently unclasped her hands from Evie's and brought it up to the girl's rosy cheeks to carefully wipe the falling tears from Evie's face. It hurt - _killed_ \- Mal to see her sister so distraught over her own happiness but she knew that Evie was just as protective over the people she loved as Mal herself was and would not stop until everyone she loved was okay. It was one of the things Mal loved most about her sister. And another trait that didn't seem to be fading. "Please don't cry, princess" Evie smiled softly at Mal's words, "Princess's shouldn't cry when dragons fly away from their tower"

 

"And here I thought, princess's only cry when someone they love leaves. Turn's out it's only when dragons decide to leave" Evie responded with a small smile, "So, when is the dragon coming back because certain princesses prefer to be saved by purple, fire-breathing dragons then knights in shining armour and golden hair" Evie smiled.

 

"And certain princess's don't get what they want" Mal whispered softly, "Evie, you need to understand that what I'm doing is for the best. I won't have to worry all the time, Jay will become the leader of the group -something I have trained him for personally; he will be a good leader and an even better friend now that he would know more about how to help all of you- and Carlos will have all the technology his heart desires, Ben will remain king without me by his side to hag him and Lonnie, Jane and Audrey will all continue their lives happily and without the worry I would have caused them. Life would be better without me to cause worry among the people and the lords and ladies of the council that seems to want me gone anyhow" Mal added with a shrug of her shoulders.

 

"But what about me?"

 

"Your life will be like the fairytales we read as children, where the princess lives happily ever after. With or without the prince" Mal started with a gentle squeeze of Evie's hands, "Snow White talked to me after Ben's coronation, asking if staying at her Chateau in Snowington was something you would like and if I would allow it, seeing as you are my best friend and everything you do, seems to relate back to me. I agreed." Mal answered as Evie's eyebrows scrunched together in disbelief, "She planned on telling you after my Cotillion, a week or so, and you two would get to know one another. You would have your family, your new castle and an even better life then you have ever had with me by your side"

 

"Why did you tell me?"

 

"Because Snow White wanted it to be a secret but it won't be much of a secret if, when she comes to ask you to join her in Snowington for the summer up in coming, you are still on the Isle trying to get me to join Auradon life again" Mal responded with a small smile.

 

"But...But I don't want to go. I don't want to go to Snowington without you"

 

"Yes you do, you just don't want to admit it" Mal smiled, "Once you go to Snowington and see your step-sister, you will forget all about this and enjoy your time with the boys and everyone else you are smart enough to invite into your life. With the necessary precaution, of course," Mal added.

 

"But it won't be the same without my true sister" Evie whispered, "I'm not going to lose you. Not again" Evie added as Mal moved forward and pulled the girl into a tight hug, her arms moving to encircle Evie's waist as Evie pulled her arms around Mal's neck and buried her head into the curve of Mal's neck. Mal smiled sadly at the feeling of small tears falling against the curve of her neck as she moved to sit against the headboard of the bed, paying extra attention to the small trembles of her sister's body as Evie moved to press her head into Mal's chest as she wrapped her legs around the purple-haired teenagers.

 

"Do you ever lie awake at night?" Mal sang softly as she ran her finger's through Evie's hair, sighing softly as the small tremors in Evie's frame persisted.

 

"Just between the dark and the morning light?Searching for the things you used to for the place, where the lost things go.

 

Do you ever dream or reminisce?Wondering where to find what you truly miss?Well, maybe all those things that you love so,Are waiting in the place where the lost things go.

 

Memories you've shed, gone for good you 're all around you still through they've 's really left or lost without a 's gone forever only out of place"

 

The earthquakes racking across Evie's frame began to lessen as Mal sung, the blue-haired teenager slowly moving closer to her best friend as Mal smiled and continued to run her finger's through Evie's deep blue hair, unknowingly causing the dark brown eyes of her best friend to slowly flutter closed at the contact.

 

"So maybe now the dish and my best spoon,Are playing hide and seek behind the there until it's time to is like that now, far beneath the in the place where the lost things go.

 

Time to close your eyes so sleep can come when you dream you find all that's lost is on the moon or maybe somewhere all you're missing lives inside of you

 

So when you need my touch and loving gaze;Gone but not forgotten is the perfect from a star that you make I'm always there, watching as you me in the place where the lost things go"

 

Mal smiled sadly as her best friend's quiet snores filled the room while Mal continued to run her finger's through her best friend's hair, ignoring the young king stood in the doorway of the room -directly in her line of vision as she looked over the works of art she and Evie had designed which stood opposite her- before he walked further into the room, stopping almost five steps away from the bed when Mal's eyes suddenly shot to his and glowed a deep emerald green. The green, however, held no malice for the king and instead, held a certain level of curiosity and caution about the king. She wanted to know why he had come to the Isle Of The Lost -though, she suspected that his lessons of chivalry were to blame for the heroic, and in her opinion, dumb move- with her friends but she was also cautious of the blue-haired teenager in her arms, fast asleep and snoring asleep.

 

"I'm sorry it's just that-" Mal started as she blinked her eyes, slowly getting rid of the deep green colouring of her eyes and instead, forcing them to return to normal as Ben shook his head.

 

"It's just that you are cautious about letting people in again" Ben answered, smiling softly when Mal nodded in confirmation. "The boy's wanted to know what was happening up here" Mal raised an eyebrow as she nodded her head towards her sleeping best friend. "You've been up here for an hour" Ben clarified as Mal smiled and nodded, "I volunteered to check so we can..talk? I'm not sure but I didn't expect to hear you sing" Ben noted.

 

"There's a lot you don't know about me" Mal chuckled softly as Evie stirred, caused Mal to turn her attention to the princess as she gently shushed her and pressed a gentle kiss onto the top of her sister's head, smiling gratefully as Evie sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer to her.

 

"Like how much you care about Evie. I think I underestimated it by a long shot" Ben laughed softly as he nervously played with the ends of his leather jacket that Evie had designed. Mal liked it; it made him seem edgy and like a VK but she also knew that she preferred the young king being himself then faking it for her. She favoured him in a suit but with no crown, watching as his smile lit up the whole room and his laugh echoed from around the room as the two sat in one of their dorm rooms having a small, indoor picnic to get away from the paparazzi. She liked him carefree. But currently, he was stood stiff and awkwardly in front of her which made Mal feel guilty for running away as it caused Ben to act a way that was against his nature just to get her back.

 

"Most people do" Mal answered back honestly. It was like a breath of fresh area -to finally be truthful to Ben, even if the subject was something as commonly known as Mal's protectiveness over her sister- and it felt like now that she started, Mal never wanted to lie to Ben ever again. "I may be a VK but I know where my loyalties lie"

 

"Exactly" Ben smiled as Mal nodded and looked back down to her sister, slowly moved a fallen piece of Evie's hair behind the princess's ear before the latter pressed her cheek against Mal's hand with a happy -and some may say dopey- smile on her lips when Mal made no more to pull away and instead, cupped her sister's cheek as she began to run her finger over the princess's unblemished olive skin. "I'm so sorry, Mal" Ben apologised, "I should have never started the fight and I was a fool to doubt you. Please come home" Ben begged as he dug in his pocket and took out the beast ring he had given to Mal months ago at the young king's coronation. "Please"

 

 

"Ben, I can't. And I am home, I can't go back there" Mal denied as she turned to her sister, watching with a smile as Evie snuggled closer to her for heat causing lines of concern to engrave themselves onto Mal's pale forehead. Slowly reaching forward, Mal grabbed the corner of the thick blanket on the bed and brought it across Evie's shivering body, smiling widely in relief as Evie grabbed the blanket and wrapped herself in it with a child-like pout plastered on her lips. "I tried to fit in, Ben, I really tired but I guess I wasn't for the role" Ben's smile broke at Mal's offhanded joke as the purple-haired teenager looked down at her best friend. "It is wrong for me to play the role when I know my friends would do so much better in the spotlight. Jay would finally be celebrated for being captain of the R.O.A.R and Tourney team, Carlos's inventions would get the recognition they deserve and Evie...Well, Evie will have her own happily ever after. The one she deserves" Mal commented as she turned towards the young king, "The one I could never give her as a sister"

 

"Mal, you can give all that to each and every one of them if you come back with me. With us" Ben ensured as Mal shook her head softly.

 

"Just promise me that you will do everything in your power to make sure that they are okay" Mal pleaded, her voice emotionless and empty as she stared at Ben with a weak smile. "Promise me that you will protect my siblings and family as if I were still there, by your side. Promise me that you will make sure that my siblings, Evie especially, are taken care of and don't want anything for as long as they live. Even if I can't be with them, I hope that they still have a long and happy life. Please grant me that final reassurance" Mal added.

 

"I can't just walk away from all this" Ben responded, "What about us? What about the memories we share?"

 

"Ben, those memories...they are in the past" Mal whispered heartbrokenly as she moved her gaze to the floor, unable to watch Ben's eyes glaze over with sadness at her words. "I will return here permanently and reclaim my part of the island and become queen again and when that happens, you and I will be indirect enemies. We may even fight one day and I can't promise that our past will be enough to save each other" Mal added. "With Evie by your side on the council she will make sure that never happens but if it does, I can promise you that my love for you will not be forgotten so easily. I love you, never forget that...but I don't think it was destined for me to have" Mal finished as she finally lifted her head to see Ben, watching the young king's eyes fill with tears as they copied Mal's, the teenager unable to look away as a single tear fell down Ben's cheeks that he made no room to wipe away.

 

"Of course you deserve love, Mal, everyone does" Ben commented, "You deserve better than anything I could ever give you and more and you certainly deserve more than this. Let's go home, let's make Auradon our home and enjoy it. I promise to handle the press, to make sure everything is okay for you and I promise-"

 

"Please, don't make promises you can't keep" Mal interrupted softly, "I know you mean well Ben but please, go back to Auradon with the group and live a nice and happy life as king. Give that ring to someone who can truly make you happy" Mal gestured to the ring in Ben's hand with a small nod of her head, watching as the king looked down at the glistening ring with sadness, his heartbreaking at the prospect of his ring - _Mal's_ ring- being on the finger of another woman. "You should go back to the boys. I'm sure their worried. Evie will be awake shortly and then you all can leave" Mal added as she breathed in deeply, her chin rising up as she looked into Ben's eyes.

 

"Mal-"

 

"Don't" Mal cut off once again, "Just...just leave"

 

And with one final, heartbroken glance, Ben left the room, the door closing just as the sound of poorly-concealed sobs echoed through the main living area.

 

And the thing that made Ben's heart shatter further was the knowledge that those sobs were not Evie's.


	2. "This is my home too"

Throughout her experience in Auradon, Evie discovered that there were several ways to wake up that were responsible for big-hearted smiles and sparkling eyes in the morning. Waking up to the sun beaming through the delicate curtains of her dorm room and the tranquil chirping of songbirds regularly put a smile on her features but sometimes -when the essays at school became too much and the demand of her company overflowed her with too much stress- she needed to curl up to her best friend and neglect the external world.

Precisely like she doing now; only she wasn't. She wasn't where she anticipated herself to be; that being the Isle Of The Lost at her sanctuary, cuddled up to her best friend as the stain of former tears still decorated her glowing cheeks. She was in Auradon, with the faint luminosity of the complete moon flashing through the sealed curtains and the muted hum of her best friend as Mal worked her finger's through her delicate hair. Evie wanted to ask inquiries -her mind was crowded with them- but at this point, they hardly seemed significant as she nestled closer to her sister with a content sigh. Mal chuckled unostentatiously before drawing Evie closer, her hand leaning on the princess's shoulder as Evie encased her arms around Mal's torso and reclined her head on the purple-haired teenager's stomach. "Princess, how are you feeling?" Mal inquired with a small smile.

"I'm not sure" Evie concluded with an uncertain smile. She was uninjured at least but she didn't know how she had gotten into Auradon or when Mal had agreed to leave. In a land of enchantment and mischievous, Evie didn't quite understand who to trust as she grew up and experienced the damage that could happen if she believed in the wrong person.

"It was a terrible nightmare but your safe now" _Safe,_ Evie thought. For as long as she could remember, she had never truly been _safe_. No matter who entered her life and promised that she would be, it seemed that something in the universe -something so small that it couldn't be seen or measured but so large that it made such an extensive amount of pain erupted in her life- made that promise invalid. The life she led on the Isle Of The Lost was anything but _safe_ and even though she had a large number of friends -ones she knew would gladly take a knife for her and her in return, would do the same- by her side who promised to take care of her and her group, a series of certain unfortunate events led to the large group decreasing in size until there were only four people; a dragon with the power to destroy whole kingdoms in one single breath, a thief able to steal from some of the richest places in order for the group to survive, a scientist and computer-whizz that was able to hank any system online, and a princess who used her power and mind to manipulate the world into working with her friends instead of against them.

But you see, she was never truly _safe_ when doing any of those things.

Villains still whispered half-made plans about her death in the darkened alleyways and harsh glares narrowed on her as she walked down the streets of the Isle Of The Lost but in a way, they were always stopped by her friends. The plans of her death were never completed and the glares always softened when the other's walked beside her but just because they quietened, didn't mean they were stopped. For you see, a murder never stops plotting until they are in prison and even then, they need something to pass the time.

"Nightmare?"

"Yes, you were shouting and crying" Mal mentioned with a shrug of her shoulders. Evie knew what the sigh meant -most people believed that the gestured showed distance towards the current conversation or disinterest but with Mal, it was completely different. The small shrug of her shoulders showed Evie that Mal didn't want to talk about the events because it was too painful. The gesture was often used on the Isle Of The Lost -after Mal talked to her mother and Evie asked about it or when the teenager witnessed something terrible, often about Evie, and didn't want to talk about it- but since moving to Auradon, it happened less frequently due to the peaceful setting. Evie chose not to press on. "Are you alright now? Do you remember what it was about?" Mal asked, curiosity ill-contained in her gleaming green eyes.

"Um...I dreamt that you left" Evie hesitated as her throat suddenly went dry, "You left us and went back to the Isle because you felt like there was too much pressure on you. It was my fault really but you said you would never leave; that Auradon wasn't your home and that you could never give me the life I want, whatever that means" Evie snuggled closer to her best friend with a heartbroken sob, clutching the silk of Mal's pyjama top so much that the latter believed it would rip. Mal raised her hand and placed it on Evie's, gently moving Evie's chin up with the hand currently resting on the princess's shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"I will never leave you, princess, I promise" Mal reassured her quietly with a smile, "Your my sister right? Sister's can never abandon one another, it's the first rule of sisterhood remember?" Mal teased with a smile as Evie nodded in agreement. "Good, now go back to sleep. I'll be with you when you wake up"

"You're -um- not going to sleep?" Evie asked quietly.

"Not until I know you are safe" _That_ _word_ _again_ , Evie thought as she snuggled closer to her best friend with her head raised to look into Mal's emerald green eyes while the latter ran her finger's through Evie's hair. "Now, close your eyes and fall back to sleep, it's late" Mal noted with a smile. " _Je t'aime Princesse_ " Mal added with a large smile as she pulled Evie closer and leaned down to press a reassuring kiss onto the latter's forehead.

" _Y_ te amo _dragon_ " Evie responded sleepily as her eyes once again began to flutter closed, enjoying the soft hum rolling around the room thanks to her best friend. A small melody -one Evie didn't know herself but was familiar due to the constant sound of it throughout her time on the Isle Of The Lost with her friends who regularly hummed it while she fall asleep in the past- rang throughout the room like a hushed whisper, bouncing off the walls and towards Evie as her hair continued to be brushed by Mal's fingertips and her eyes fluttered closed a final time.

* * *

 The gentle hum -the one Mal sang before Evie had fallen back asleep- greeted Evie when her eyes fluttered open, a peaceful smile playing at her lips as her eyes adjusted to the light within the room, shining perfectly through the windows. Only, when Evie's eyes finally did adapt to the light, she was not greeted with the beautiful scenery she had previously come to call normal and instead, was greeted by the decorated walls of the VK's hideout on the Isle Of The Lost. _She was on the Isle Of The Lost_ , Evie realised with a hint of sadness, wishing for a moment that she could return to her dream-world with a happy Mal and amazing life in Auradon -where everything was okay and exactly the way they should have been. _She knew she wouldn't be 'safe'_ Evie chided herself for believing such a thing, especially when she grew up in such an _unsafe_ place.

"Hey, Princess" Mal's light voice filled Evie's ears as the blue-haired princess turned around in her bed, smiling in response as she watched her best friend fold her leather jacket at the edge of the bed. Evie sighed as she nestled further into her blanket, the fabric covering her mouth as she yawned quietly and watched Mal continue to fold her jacket and place it at the edge of the bed. "I got something to eat, it's on the side" Mal gestured with a nod towards the table beside the bed as she sat down at the edge of the bed, running her fingers through the soft curls of her best friend's fallen hair. 

"What is it?" Evie asked as she slowly sat up in her bed, leaning against one of her hands with a smile while Mal continued to brush the ends of Evie's hair. 

"You'll know. Drink it" Mal ordered softly as Evie smiled with a roll of her eyes, sitting up in the bed with a tired sigh. Mal chuckled softly at her best friend's actions before she reached forward and wrapped her hand around the warm handle of the purple and blue painted mug. With a small smile, Mal wordlessly handed Evie the mug and watched with a raised eyebrow as Evie brought the cup and allowed the soft liquid to touch the skin of her plump lips. The warm liquid was sweet and soft as it slowly passed Evie's lips, running down her throat with a beautiful after-taste of dark chocolate and whipped cream as Evie let out a sigh of contentment. 

"Hot-chocolate" Evie sighed with a large smile, removing the cup from her lips and placing it in her lap. 

"I know it's not like Auradon's fresh hot chocolate-" Mal started in an apologetic tone.

"It's better" Evie cut off, "Thank you. You always knew this was my favourite here" Evie added.

"Well of course" Mal smiled as Evie giggled, shaking her head with an infectious smile while a piece of her blue hair fell from behind the princess's ear, curling like a curtain around Evie's face. Unlike other times, both Evie and Mal left the piece of hair alone. Evie looked beautiful; the soft light from the descending sun reflecting through Evie's fallen hair and onto her olive skin, outlining the girl's sharp jawline and blushing cheeks with a radiant pattern of spiralling lights. She truly was a masterpiece and Mal never wanted to ruin the beautiful colours reflecting off of the canvas. It was her duty as an artist to protect the painting from harm; so she left the piece of hair. 

"What?" Evie giggled softly, a blush forming on her cheeks as she watched Mal study her face with an ill-contained curiosity. For a moment Evie wondered if she had anything on her face and if Mal was looking at it, wondering whether or not to tell Evie or leave it for her to find later. But, no, the sparkle in Mal's eyes told her that it was something internally different. Her face was clear and Mal was looking for -or rather,  _at_ \- something else. The daughter of Maleficent looked at the princess with love and care, like she was truly seeing Evie for the first time. It was moments like these that made Evie thank the God's in Olympus that the boys weren't in the room for they would never understand the importance of silence in moments like these. Yes, Evie had often turned her head and saw that either Jay or Carlos were looking at her with an almost identical look to how Mal was currently but it was different. Unlike Mal, the boy's eyes -especially Jay's- often held a hint of worry or concern for the princess and while Evie appreciated the idea that the boys wanted to protect her against everything in this world that would threaten her, she preferred when Mal looked at her like she wasn't a china doll that could be broken easily. 

"Nothing" Mal sighed softly as Evie giggled again, bringing the cup of hot chocolate back up to her lips to take a long sip of the humid liquid."I need to go somewhere important, okay? Promise me you'll be safe" Mal pleaded softly with a reassuring smile. 

"Where are you going?" Evie asked, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. 

"To meet someone important. Just promise me you'll be okay, princess" Mal replied automatically as Evie narrowed her eyes sceptically. The princess had no problem with Mal leaving the hideout. On the Isle Of The Lost, Evie repeatedly left the sanctuary at dark without any foreseeable reason -Evie had quickly denied it when Mal had asked if she was going to her mother's, knowing that the purple-haired teenager  _hated_ the Evil Queen more than anyone in the world for what she did to Evie- and the rest of the group had simply made sure that she was okay without asking question. Evie was going to afford the same luxury to Mal that the daughter of Maleficent gave to her all those years ago. But Evie did want to know who Mal was talking too. Evie never told Mal who she was talking too because she never asked -she only asked if it was the Evil Queen and Evie truthfully denied it- but now, Evie was asking and she hoped to have an answer. 

"And who are these 'important' people?" Evie asked over the edge of her hot chocolate with a raised eyebrow. 

"No one you need to worry your pretty little head about" Mal reassured before standing up from the bed and walking to the other side of the bed to grab her phone and bag, her back facing Evie as she slung it over her shoulder with a heavy sigh. "I have my phone, call me if you need me but otherwise...stay with the boys" Evie turned and placed her cup back on the side table before looking back at Mal, placing her full weight on one arm as she ran her finger's through her hair in worry. "Promise me" Mal turned back around with a smile as she fixed her bag. 

"Why do I have to stay with the boys?" Evie asked with a pout as Mal chuckled. She realised she sounded childish but she didn't care. It was the only thing she could think off to get  _any_ information based on where Mal was going; just to make sure she is okay. "When did that ever become a thing?" 

"When I need it to be" Mal sighed, "Things are different now. I belong here and you don't anymore -neither do the boys- and people will use that to their advantage. I can not have my family be hurt because I wasn't here to protect you all. Speaking of, Ben's safest in Auradon" Mal added."Can you pass me my jacket?" Evie sighed as she reached over and wrapped her fingers around the collar of Mal's leather jacket, rubbing her fingers over the green swirls of paint before she threw it towards Mal, who caught it easily. "Thanks" 

"Is that your way of telling us to go?" Evie asked. "Are you telling me to leave? This is my home and has been for sixteen years. It was bad and broken and small but still good. You remember the evil parts but I remember the good parts, please let me stay" Evie begged, her eyes softening greatly as she watched Mal look down with a heavy sigh and run her hand through her hair. "It's my home, are you really taking that away from me?" She knew it was a low blow but it needed to happen. Evie couldn't bear the thought of leaving the Isle Of The Lost without Mal by her side, like everything else. She would do anything to get Mal back to safety. 

"This isn't home Evie, it's Hell on Earth" Mal replied, "You remember the good parts which involve us and this hideout. You forget the number of times when you patched me and Jay up after  _another_ fight. You forget your mother's tortuous lessons and punishments. You forget the number of times you sat beside Carlos's bed, after promising him his mother would never harm him -knowing it was a lie- because he couldn't sleep without holding your hand following a nightmare. You forget the bad parts of this place that gave  _you_ nightmares, E. It isn't Auradon. It isn't perfect. It never was and never will be" Mal explained. 

"So why are you staying here?" Evie asked. "If this place is such hell, why stay?" 

"To remember home, just for a moment" Mal sighed. Evie copied her actions before throwing the covers back and getting out of the bed to stand in front of Mal, her arms crossed over one another in a powerful stance over her chest. "I know it's terrible, I know that this place is hell and I remember a time where all I wanted was to leave this place with you and Jay and Carlos. But in a way...Auradon is just as terrible as the Isle. Everyone over there pretends to be something their not and I'm done, E" Mal continued 

"Mal-" 

"Stop" Mal pleaded, wiping away the small tears gathering in her eyes in a quick movement, begging the God's on Mount Olympus that Evie didn't see them. Of course, the princess did and stepped forward with a sad smile and soft eyes filled with vulnerability. Mal took a step back. "I need to go. Stay safe E" 

And with that final parting and a small, apologetic smile, Mal left the hideout and climbed down the metal stairs towards the alley, unaware of the teary-eyed blue hair princess stood frozen in the middle of the room. 

* * *

Unlike the other houses on the Isle Of The Lost, the one Mal was stood in front of was large and intact, the stones standing tall to probably proclaim the history of Diego DeVil's large house. The complete opposite of his aunt, Diego himself was a proud and honourable part of Mal's high-ranking council on the Isle Of the Lost. Unknown to his cousin, Diego was the leader of the 'military' -so to speak- of Mal's section of the Isle Of The Lost and took the job with enjoyment, with his only request being that his younger cousin did not know -when faced with the facts, Mal was more than happy to agree with the terms.  

The nephew of Cruella DeVil lived in a small castle-like structure on the edge of the Isle Of The Lost, surrounded by dry grass and the haunting cliffs of the island. The structure itself was simple -two average-size floors equipped with four bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, office and meeting room plus a gym and other smaller activity rooms and two balconies connected to some of the bedrooms on the second floor- and was painted a dark black colour with silver beams and large windows on every floor. Large towers ascended into the sky from either side of the house which acted as prisons and additional rooms, and at the back of the estate -overlooking the beautiful clear water from outside the barrier- was a large garden filled with long paths and beautiful plants native to that area of the island. 

Guards lined the estate -ones that would usually be guarding the hideout or Maleficent's home- and two armour-clad soldiers, one male and one female, stood beside the large wooden doors of the house with emotionless expressions on their face as Mal walked forward. The house hadn't changed since she had left and it brought a small sense of contentment to know that nothing too drastic had happened while she was in Auradon. The flowers bordering the house had bloomed due to a large amount of sunlight on this side of the Isle of The Lost from the clear skies outside the barrier from spring and new guards had been placed near the door from the last time Mal had visited. The two guards defending the door immediately placed their hands on the end of their swords with an angry glare as Mal walked closer to the house with an uninterested roll of her eyes. "What do you want?" one guard -the female to Mal's left- spat with venom as Mal slowed to a stop. 

"Where's Deigo?" Mal asked with a bored sigh. 

"In a meeting, come back later" The guard to Mal's right answered.

"Yea...no" Mal smiled, "Let me in" As she stepped forward, the two guards pulled out their swords with an angry glare causing Mal to stop. Now, she knew she wasn't exactly going to be welcomed back with open arms but she still knew that like in Auradon, people on the Isle Of The Lost still feared her and her mother. She hoped she could use that fear to win back the love of her people without having to fight. It seemed that she was wrong. "Look, I could fight and get blood on this outfit" She knew Evie would kill her if that happened, "But I would rather not so let me in or blood will be slipt and it won't" Mal took a menacing step forward, "be mine" 

"You have no more power" The female guard countered. 

"Let's see shall we" Mal smirked as she dove forward, dodging one of the many attacks from the two soldiers with expert skill and beautiful grace. 

* * *

 "Uma, I appreciate the concern for your people but there is nothing I can do" Diego sighed as he sat back in his chair, an apologetic smile playing on his lips as he watched Uma copy his actions opposite him. They were sat in the meeting room on the first floor of Diego's house, surrounded by the cream coloured walls and the dark floors of the large room. The room was simple enough to easily serve its purpose of providing a space for sophisticated meetings to be held by adding a large dark table in the centre of the room while also being cosy, provided by the warm fireplace at the front of the chamber. While Diego sat at the end of the table and Uma sat beside him, Harry and Gil stood behind the Captian with their arms folded over their chests and uninterested smiles on their faces. "You're one of my only friends on the west side of the Isle and if I could spare some soldiers I would but I just...don't" 

"I am  _this_ " Uma raised her hand and pressed her index finger close to her thumb, "close to the adults taking over some of the checkpoints on my side, I need these soldiers for additional protection for the children living there. If there was any other way, I'd take it but there's not. You can have free food from the south for two months as long as I get these guards" Uma negotiated.

"Uma I can't. Mal left me in charge, I need to do what's best for this side of the island" Diego countered

"And as much as I think that... _witch_ is a traitor, I can't get rid of the fact that she and my sister maybe great deals to protect  _all_ of the Island -not just one side" Uma grumbled. "She and her gang worked well. You remember Evie right? Every week she would walk down to my side of the island and read the kids a story to calm them down -on special occasions she even brought treats and snacks when food was low- but she never reserved them for just kids, did she? As much as I hate to admit it, she included everyone so surely  _you_ should try to do the same thing. Since Mal left you in charge and all" Uma raised an eyebrow at the nephew of Cruella DeVil, ignoring the small sigh that escaped Gil.

By far, Gil was the most positively affected by Evie when she visited the west side of the Isle of The Lost. After showing him how to read and write, Evie spent the majority of her time with Gil teaching him that he was loved -the simplest of her lessons but arguably the most important- by everyone he came in contact with, regardless of what his brothers said. Despite what Uma believed about Mal, she could honestly say that Evie was a good person and tried her hardest to make people happy, even when those people weren't her responsibility. Gil owed a lot to Evie and intended on paying her back by being the person she believed he could be. 

"Uma, I can't-" 

Before Diego could continue, a loud shout erupted from outside the home, followed by another and another as Uma and Diego stood up from the table and rushed to the front of the room, with Uma in the lead. Opening the door quickly, Uma let out a small laugh at the image in front of her while Diego stood wide-eyed beside her. 

Mal had somehow managed to get one of the guard's swords and was, at this moment, fighting the remaining guard while the other lay beside the door groaning in pain while holding his arm which had acquired a new gash from between the two pieces of armour at his shoulder. Similarly, Mal had a large cut down her arm and smaller ones on her face -one on her cheek and another resting cut above her eyebrow- but was still fairing better in the fight than her opponent. Her opponent was getting tired -evident by the slow responses to Mal's ever-quickening attacks against her sword- and Mal knew that. Unlike almost everyone on the Isle Of The Lost -the guard included- Mal fought with honour and never once attacked when the guard was at her lowest point in energy. It seemed that none of the onlookers was willing to interrupt the fight and content with watching from the sidelines, occasionally adding a soft hiss when an opponent was hurt and a small smile when someone -mainly Mal- continued to get the upper hand. 

And all was going well until the guard produced a nasty blow and re-struck Mal's arm, creating a deeper cut than before and causing Mal to hiss deeply in pain, her eyes uncontrollably flickering a deep green colour. "Enough!" Deigo exclaimed stepping forward and out of the group as the guard dropped her sword and turned around, her face an angry red as she bowed to Carlos's cousin. Mal paid no attention to the new voice and instead cupped her newly bleeding injury with her hand, barely containing the harsh hiss of pain as she gritted her teeth together. "Get him to the infirmary" Diego ordered with a swift nod towards the injured soldier. The female nodded and with a final glare towards the daughter of Maleficent, she helped the wounded guard stand and walked him into the house. 

"Your majesty" Deigo greeted with a small nod before stepping forward and gently prying Mal's hand away from her arm, sending a small smile towards the daughter of Maleficent as her eyes returned back to their green shade. 

"Thank you, Deigo" Mal thanked quietly with a relieved sigh.

"What are friends for?" He replied before chuckling under his breath, "Those two were my best guards and you took them down easily. I should be offended but I find myself oddly...impressed" Deigo commented as Mal smiled in thanks, "The cuts deep, you may need to get it looked at or it'll get infected" Deigo added.

"Yea, that one's pretty fast" Mal chuckled as Deigo took a step back, removing his hand from Mal's arm with a small smile. "She said you were at a meeting, hope I didn't interrupt" Mal teased.

"Nonsense, Uma was just-" Deigo gestured with a small nod towards the three pirates still stood on the doorstep of the house.

"Realising that I was talking to the wrong leader" Uma interrupted as she stepped forward. "I need to speak with you. That's if you're back for good now?" Uma raised her eyebrow at the daughter of Maleficent with a mischievous smirk. "Because if you're not, I might as well talk to Deigo" 

"No, talk with me" Mal commanded as she too took a step forward. "What's wrong?" 

"So you're back for good?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing sceptically. 

"Yep" Mal answered as she placed her hands on her hips, ignoring the tingling sensation going from the cut as fresh blood slowly dripped down her arm; the deep red colouring of the blood contrasted greatly to the daughter of Maleficent's pale skin. "So what's happened?" 

"We need extra guards" Uma put it simply, once again redirecting the discussion back to her, "Or else the parents will take over some of the checkpoints on my half of the Isle. Children are in those checkpoints. Children who I am incapable of securely relocating in time" Uma added.

"So give her the guards" Mal simply answered, turning to Deigo with a lifted eyebrow and interrogating look. It was the one thing Uma liked about Mal; she was able to quickly understand the significance of a circumstance and know what was the correct thing to do. She may be a lot of things -proud, over-protective and testing to name a few- but she was  _not_ incompetent and could efficiently recognise the good and wicked thing to do. No matter what, Uma could never object to that. 

"We need them" Deigo countered, "For the market and the hideout and-" 

"The guards surrounding my hideout can leave after two days" Mal cut off, "Not a day later but not a day earlier" Mal commanded before turning back to Uma, "You can have them in two days. Sorry, I can't do earlier but it's important that they stay for now. Can you manage two days?" 

"Yea" Uma nodded.

"Good, then is that sorted?" Uma nodded again. "Thanks, well I did come over to have a friendly chat with an old friend to tell him I returned but I guess I have other plans" Mal gestured to her cut arm with a small laugh, "So if you excuse me" Mal nodded her head towards Uma and turned around, quickly hugging Deigo before she started to walk down the path. 

"Wait" To Mal's -and Uma's- surprise, Gil was the one who spoke, quickly running forward to be face to face with Mal as he smiled widely at her. "Is Evie here?" He asked causing Mal to smile, turning around on her spot with a happy smile as she nodded. "Well then you have to come with us" 

"What?" Uma and Mal asked simultaneously, a look of shock painted equally on both their faces at the son of Gaston's words.

"Well, yea" Gil shrugged as if his thinking was the most obvious thing in the world, "If Mal returns to her hideout with a cut, Evie will see red and kill anyone who was there when she got hurt -including us" Gil explained as he turned towards Harry and Uma, "But if we look after Mal, Evie won't know or won't be as mad because she would be healed" 

"He has a point, lass" Harry agreed. Harry Hook was the most fearless person -and arguably the stupidest- on the Isle Of The Lost when it came to fights or anything dangerous but even  _he_ was scared of an angry Evie. While usually beautifully calm, Evie was a force to be reconded with when it came to the welfare and health of her friends -especially Mal- and she had a reputation for brutally protecting her friends by hunting down the people who hurt them. Harry supposed that his fear in the smaller blue-haired princess was truly well-justified when faced with the evidence. 

"May I?" Gil -ever the lovable gentlemen- gestured toward Mal's arm with a small nod, smiling in thanks when the purple-haired teenager tilted her arm so Gil could see the cut. "It needs stitches. Two or three at most" Gil nodded, "And I doubt Jay or Carlos could do the stitches without Evie finding out" On top of reading and writing, Evie took the time to teach Gil basic medicine which quickly got him promoted to the crew's doctor on Uma's crew. 

"As long as Uma's okay with it" Mal raised her glance to meet the captains, "It is your territory" 

"Think of it as a thank you for the guards" Uma waved off as she walked forward, smiling softly to herself when she felt Harry's hand brush against hers. "Let's get going or it'll be dark" Uma commanded.

"Bye Diego" 

"Bye Mal" 

* * *

"Stay still" Uma commanded as she gently pressed an alcohol-covered cotton pad on the small cuts of Mal's forehead, her concentrated stare never faltering as Mal once again hissed in pain. They were sat in Uma's bedroom on her boat - _The Lost Revenge_ \- while Gil and Harry waited outside for privacy. Sea-shells of various sizes and colours littered the room like fairy-lights, surrounding the large bay window at the end of the room -and consequently the boat- which was supplying the only available light in the room thanks to the twinkling of stars from outside. In the centre of the room, pressed against the longest wall of the room, was Uma's double bed that was squashed between two bed-cabinets and covered with deep blue silk sheets. The walls were painted a deep azure colour -complementing the dark floorboards- and maps of far away island and lost cities covered the longest wall behind the bed and the opposite wall was protected by rows of shelves, each one filled with books of varies topics and sentiments from the teenager's young life. 

"Sorry" Mal apologised as she tried to sit still, leaning against the headboard of Uma's room. Uma hummed in response as she continued cleaning Mal's wounds, a small intense smile on her lips while her eyes narrowed in concentration. "Nice room" Mal complimented.

"Thanks" Uma replied shortly with a roll of her eyes. 

"It looks nice" Mal added

"Well, it's not an Auradonian room but it serves its purpose" Uma shrugged. 

"Uma-" Mal sighed as the daughter of Ursula sat back, removing the cotton pad from Mal's forehead with a tired sigh.

"No" Uma interrupted, "I'm sure Auradon only had room for  _four_ VK's, right?" Uma spat with venom, her eyes narrowing evilly in Mal's direction. "But no, indeed bore me with your excuses" She added with a roll of her eyes, "So what was it? We waited  _six months_ and no letter, no invitation, no nothing. You left us all in the dirt" Uma hissed as she removed the cotton pad from Mal's forehead, getting off the bed with an angry huff while throwing the cotton in the bin near the corner of the room. "Why?" 

"I don't have a reason" Mal muttered 

"Of course you don't" Mal flinched at the angry snap in Uma's tone, "The queen can leave her people and kingdom in the dirt and what? She returns later, expecting open arms and warm cheers? You never cared about us, so why should we care about you? You saw an opportunity to get your  _friends_ safe and forget everyone else" Uma scoffed. 

"I never forgot you" 

"You never remembered us either" Uma replied. Walking towards the bay window, Uma took a seat and stared out to the dirty waters surrounding the Isle Of The Lost, ignoring the soft creak from the bed as Mal sat up and placed her feet firmly on the ground. Uma wrapped her arms around herself with a tired sigh, leaning back against one of the many decorative pillows as she placed her head on the hard surface of the wall. "Pearl got sick" Uma muttered, "My little sister got sick and it lasted  _two_ months and for those two months, she got weaker and weaker and I waited. I was dumb enough to wait for a letter of invitation from you or that goody-two-shoes king so Pearl could go to Auradon. It never arrived" 

"Is she...?" While Mal would admit that currently, she and Uma were not by any means the friends they used to be -unknown to a lot of people, Uma was once Mal's best friend and almost-sister until events transpired which forced them to break apart- Mal understood that Pearl still played a large influence in not only her life but the gangs life as well. The fourteen-year-old younger sister of Uma was a favourite among Mal's close group and despite her older sisters dislike towards Mal, Pearl still visited almost every month. To Jay and Carlos, Pearl was their youngest sister and closest friend from the west side of the Isle Of The Lost -thanks to the boys, Pearl was taught how to steal without getting caught and knew everything about technology. To Mal, Pearl was the best thing on the west side of the island -with a smile that could light up the night sky and intelligence that outshined most people in Mal's court- and to Evie, Pearl was the best person on the whole Isle Of The Lost. Everyone in the group had some deep connection with the fourteen-year-old and the thought of her getting hurt equally angered and disheartened Mal. 

"She's fine now" Uma reassured, her tone only slightly lightening as Mal sighed in relief. "She got better quickly and is fine. But do you see my point?" She asked, turning her head to look at Mal, "If you hadn't returned, you wouldn't have known that Pearl was ill. And what would have happened if she didn't get better? You wouldn't have known" 

Mal was silent as she thought about Uma's words.  _She's right_ , Mal thought. If she hadn't left Auradon and travelled back to the Isle Of The Lost -if she hadn't visited Deigo when she did or had returned when Evie asked her too- she wouldn't have known about Pearl's illness. She would have continued her life, with Pearl as a small part of her mind among the mess that Auradon had created, and tried to ignore the immense guilt she got when thinking about the people she left. 

"She asked about you" Uma muttered, "When it got worse and we were all worried, she asked if you and Evie and the boys could visit to say goodbye" Mal tried to ignore the small tears building in her eyes at the thought.  _Pearl thought she was going to die_ , Mal thought,  _and we weren't here to help_. "I couldn't respond" Uma added, "Because when your little sister thinks that it's her final days on this planet and the one thing she asks for is the one thing I can't give her...I got so angry that you had put me in that place" 

"The letters are coming next week" Mal replied after a moment of silence, "I know it doesn't change anything but...I can ask Ben to speed up the invite" Mal offered.

"What?" Uma asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"That's why it took so long" Mal explained, "Because telling a bunch of good-guys that the next VK's to come to Auradon will be both of the princesses of the west side and Oceana -the queen- took so long. You and your sisters and your family -Oceana, Pearl, Harry and Gil included- were the first ones on the list, Uma" Mal added, "I never forgot where I came from or the people who helped me get there" 

"Sure" Uma rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Uma, the letters _will_ arrive in three days. On Monday morning" Mal reassured, "I kinda had it all planned out. We would become friends and Pearl would go to school there. Harry and Gil would join the sports and we would all spend time eating Ice Cream in the sun" Mal laughed, "I'm sorry it turned out like this" 

"You didn't forget?" Uma asked, hating the way her voice sounded so vulnerable and weak. 

"Of course I didn't" Mal smiled as she stood up, slowly walking forward, "You were my sister Uma. I hoped - _hope_ \- that we can be that again" Uma gestured to the other side of the bay window, failing to hide the small smile on her lips at Mal's relieved sigh as the teenager sat down opposite the daughter of Ursula. "I want Pearl and Oceana happy, the same as you. That's all I ever wanted" 

"And yet you left us in the dirt" A final chance at a fight broke through Uma's lips and caused Mal to sigh, resting her head against the wooden wall behind her. 

"I did" Mal agreed. There was no point in hiding it because she did. She was ashamed to say that for the first month in Auradon, she barely paid any thought towards the Isle Of The Lost. "And I hope you can forgive me" 

"You're staying? For real this time?" Uma asked sceptically.

"Well, not if Evie has anything to do with it but otherwise" Mal giggled, "Yea, I'm staying" 

"Good" Uma nodded

"Good?" Mal teased

"Well, don't expect a marching band but...you have my help" Uma smiled. 

"Good. So, tell me" Mal leaned forward as she crossed her legs, "How's Pearl and Oceana? They miss me?" 


	3. "Is this my fault?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After talking with Harry, Gil and Uma -catching up on everything that had happened in the three's life- Mal and Harry walked back to the hideout where Evie is waiting for the purple-haired teenager. The two teens join the rest of the group and talk about the next few steps of their plan, where it is explained why Mal felt like she couldn't be the perfect princess and who her inspiration was.

It was late at night when Mal left Uma's ship with Harry -at Uma's persistence- and walked back to the hideout, a large relieving smile dancing on the descendant of Maleficent's lips as she and Harry wandered down the gloomy and vacated alleys of the island. The stars danced high above the pair as they walked soundlessly, content in the melodious hum escaping the pirate's lips while he whistled. After Uma and Mal had put aside their disagreements, Harry and Gil had rejoined the discussion and the four had filled the remainder of the night reminiscing about their childhoods collectively and informing Mal about the Isle Of the Lost's differences since she left. Harry had been reluctant to believe Mal but promptly got over it, welcoming the teenager back with wide arms and immediately reconnecting with his closest friend and near-sister while Gil had almost no problems with the change in friendship, smiling brightly as he pulled Mal into a tight but reassuring hug. The four talked, laughed and exchanged stories until darkness had coated the streets and Mal had explained that she needed to go home and Uma had ordered that Harry goes with her for safety. The three agreed to meet Mal the next day and, to Mal at least, it seemed that her life on the Isle Of The Lost was getting better. 

"So" Mal started, smiling softly when Harry continued whistling; he knew how much it calmed down Mal. "So, what's happening with you and Uma?" For the first time in a while, Mal could tell that Harry Hook was nervous. The pirate reached up and scratched the back of his neck, keeping his eyes in front of them as the shorter of the two grinned mercilessly. "That seems new" She added, smiling wickedly as Harry bit the corner of his lips in nervousness. 

"It is new" Harry Hook barely had any weaknesses but Uma's smile and Mal were two that almost everyone knew about them. Harry could never say no to Uma's smile -it was his kryptonite- and he could never lie to Mal; it was her superpower. "Not many people know outside the family" Harry continued.

"I won't pressure you" Mal smiled, "But I am happy for you two. You deserve some happiness" 

"Thanks, Mal" Harry smiled. "How's the king?" 

"Broke up" Mal replies, ignoring the heavy stabbing pain in her heart as the words escaped her lips. "He's an Auradon-boy and I'm an Isle-girl, it wasn't going to work" Mal sighed. 

"But you love him" Harry replied as Mal nodded.

"Yea" Mal sighed, "But when has that ever stopped me from breaking hearts?" 

"You sound like Evie" Harry grinned, "How is the Princess by the way?" Harry asked as he and Mal turned the corner, the large metal gates of the hideout coming to view causing Mal to sigh. At the bottom of the gates -dressed in her original Isle Of The Lost clothes minus her jacket- stood Evie with her arms crossed over her chest and an angry yet slightly relieved expression on her face as Harry and Mal came into her view. "You're in trouble" Harry sang quietly, a quiet laugh escaping his lips when Mal swiftly dug her elbow into Harry's side. 

"Where have you been?" Evie asked harshly as Mal lowered her head, a small blush appearing on her cheeks when Harry chuckled beside her. "When you said you would be back later, I didn't know you meant  _this_ late!" She continued. "I was worried sick" she complained, a vulnerable look crossing over the princesses face. 

"Hey, love" Harry greeted with a smile, watching as the anger diminished from Evie's face and she turned to face him, a small smile playing on her lips. "Be nice on her. It's ma' fault. I kept her waitin'" 

"Hi, Harry" Evie smiled, "It's good to see you. How are you doing? How's the family?" 

"Good thanks" Harry replied with a smile, "Harriet still misses ya' fashion advice" 

"I'm going up" Mal announced, quickly hugging Harry and whispering a parting goodbye before walking past Evie, her gaze towards the ground as Evie rolled her eyes. Walking up the stairs, Mal heard the faint laughs of her friends before she entered the second floor of the hideout, a smile on her face as she greeted the boys resting in the room. Evie smiled as she looked back at Harry, his soft laughter dying down as the princess stood on the end stairs with a happy smile. 

"I miss her. She was a nice person" Evie commented as Harry sighed in agreement. 

"You stayin' with Mal? The Isle could use its princess'" Harry mentioned with his tone light and teasing as he moved his hand into his trouser pockets. "Make some new clothes' and stop any fights from happening'" 

"No" Evie sighed, "Hopefully Mal's returning with me but...at this rate its not likely" 

"I wouldn't doubt it" Harry smiled, "She was talkin' about' ya all night. Sayin' how much it's going' to hurt leaven ya" 

"Thanks but part of her is right. This is our home, Harry. Part of  _me_ doesn't even want to leave" Evie commented, "If I'm being honest I forgot about all this but now...all the memories come flooding back and I remembered all the people I loved on this island" Evie admitted. 

"Well, we all miss ya" Harry mentioned. 

"Yea, I'm thinking about it" Evie decided as she moved down the stairs, sitting quietly on the bottom metal stair of the hideout. Harry followed after a nod from Evie, sitting down beside the princess with a tired sigh. "I'll miss her if I go back but I can do so much more over there. I could get more VK's into Auradon. I could improve the lifestyle here for the kids. I could do so much more than being the Evil Queen's daughter" Evie added.

"You are here" Harry reassured, "Councillor to the queen, right-hand women" Harry listed, "Ya didn't get those roles being related to the witch. Ya got it being you" 

"But-" 

"But nothin'" Harry interrupted, "Ya are sensational, regardless of anything' people say" 

"Thanks" Evie thanked, placing her head on the pirate's shoulder with a content sigh. "You're really good for a pirate" 

"And you're really smart for a princess" Harry grinned. "So, you staying'?" 

"I'll see" Evie smiled, "But thank you for looking after her. I was worried sick"

"She doesn't' make it easy for people to care about her does she?" 

"No" Evie giggled, "But I love her. She's great but doesn't think she is" 

"Hey, the crew and I are goin' with her tomorrow' so I can talk with her' if ya want" 

"If you can" Evie smiled as she pulled away, looking at Harry with a serious expression, "And anyway, if you ever want it, I can get spaces in Auradon for your family and crew. Harriet and CJ can come at a moments notice. Same goes for Gil's siblings and Uma's. All you need to do is ask" Evie negotiated as Harry nodded, a thankful smile on his lips. 

"Thanks, E. It means a lot"

"Anytime, H" Evie grinned, "Well, I shouldn't keep you from Uma" Evie teased as she stood up with Harry, "I'll see you tomorrow?" 

"Yea" Harry agreed, "And hey, I have a jacket that ripped-" 

"Say no more" Evie interrupted, "Bring it tomorrow and I'll have it fixed by the end of the day" 

"You are the best, E" Harry grinned.

"Thanks, Harry" Evie thanked, "And tell Gil and Uma I said hi" 

* * *

 

A warm smile painted itself on Evie's lips as the princess walked into the living room area, her heels clicking against the hard wooden floor as she listened to the comfortable silence that filled the room as she entered. Jay -being the first one to notice the princess enter the room- smiled warmly at Evie when where he was sat, leant against the arm of the longest sofa in the room with his legs extended to cover another two seats. Sat beside Jay's feet was Carlos, with one of his feet planted firmly on the sofa while the other rested on the ground, while he extended his arms out along the back of the sofa -his pose spacious and untroubled as he smiled in greeted once the princess nodded in his direction with a large smile. Ben was sat comfortably against the arm of the other sofa's, a similar stance to Carlos as he wrapped his arms around his raised knee with a faint smile on his lips. Mal was sat on the other side of the sofa, playing with the broken thread of Jay's beanie as the thief relaxed his head back while Mal's long nails lightly scrapped against his head in a satisfying massage. 

The blue-haired princess walked further into the room, moving around the circular table in front of the two sofa's before sitting beside Ben, a welcoming smile on her lips as the princes' arm moved from around his knee to place it at the back of the sofa, allowing Evie a comfortable rest for her head. Silence fell over the teenagers as Evie let her head fall back against Ben's arm, exhaustion and tiredness suddenly taking over the young princesses body while her head turned to the side, a small but reassuring smile painted softly on her lips as she looked at Mal, noticing the teenager's worried features as a small smile made its way onto Mal's lips. "We need to talk" Evie announced, breaking the comfortable silence that had filled the room previously. "All of us" Evie continued as she turned to the rest of the room. "We need to talk about what is happening" 

"What is there to talk about?" Mal asked softly before turning to face the remainder of the room, her face painted as emotionless as her face while she spoke. "You will stay in Auradon after you return for safety. To finish your education and continue your lives with happiness and fortune; one not easily given on this island" Mal explained, "And I will stay. Forever. To look after everyone and return to the role that was set for me before I left" 

"I am not going anywhere without my sister" Jay argued with a force Ben did not know he had. The ex-thief was always calmly spoken when he talked to Evie and Mal. His voice was always gentle and soft -laced in kindness and a sense of love that Ben had yet to fully understand from the son of Jafar- despite the nature of the words which flew out of his mouth to quickly for anyone to believe that he had properly thought of them before. And yet now he spoke forcefully and without any sign of wavering, his tone still held a sense of kindness and protectiveness which seemed natural in the older teenager.

"You must" Mal replied automatically, "If not for your own happiness then for mine. You" she addressed Jay solely as she continued, "must protect the group as much as I would if I was there. Help them and protect them" she then turned to Carlos, "I need you to continue to designing technology and making the world a better place. Look after everyone" she then turned to Evie, "And you must design to your heart's content and help with the politics" and finally, she turned to Ben, "And I need you to be the best king in Auradon's history. You have my best advisors by your side, there is no excuse" 

"I think I would be a better king -a better man- if I had my queen by my side" Ben replied, uncertainty surrounding his words like a thick blanket as he spoke. Mal slowly turned her head to look at him, her gaze questioning as she thought over his words. She knew what he was implying and she knew it should have scared her -the simple sentence went against everything Mal was trying to plan for the future of her friends and family- but it did not. Instead, the sentence warmed the deepest part of Mal's heart and gave the teenager hope, something she wanted to  _hate_ the king for but could not. She realised that she could not hate him. 

"So we have reached a problem then" Mal announced, "Because it seems that I would be a better queen without my king" Her voice shook with emotion as she spoke, heartbreak and sorrow evident in her voice as small tears bordered her emerald green eyes. _She was lying_ , Evie concluded. She knew her sister. Thanks to years of dangerous tests of friendship and torture, Evie leaned to read Mal like an open book; like the words were written on Mal's face for the world to see. It made it easy to see the broken expression hidden within Mal's softly glowing eyes and the small quiver in Mal's bottom lip from where she was biting it too hard. Jay and Carlos saw it too, evident by the concerned looks the two boys sent Evie as the princess moved closer to the daughter of Maleficent. The son of Jafar immediately launched up from his seat -his feet planted firmly on the ground, preventing him from moving closer after Evie sent him a deadly glare when Mal flinched- with a concerned look in his eyes while Evie slowly moved closer. 

Mal breathed in deeply when Evie wrapped her arms around the teenager's shoulders, gently pulling her into a comforting hug as Mal wrapped her hands around Evie's arms, holding the princess closer than ever before. Evie smiled softly as Jay relaxed from his tense stand and sat on the edge of the sofa, his gaze still fixated on the purple-haired teenager as Mal clung desperately onto Evie's arm with large tears building behind her eyes. "It's okay" Evie whispered before placing a gentle kiss on the top of Mal's head and rubbing Mal's back in comforting circles, "It's okay. Let it all out" 

"I-I can't do it" Mal muttered as she shook her head, "I can't go back there" 

"That's all right" Evie reassured.

"N-No, I can't do it again" Mal repeated, "I can't fail, not again. Please, not again" she begged as Evie slowly rose her head, locking eyes with Carlos as the son of Cruella's eyes narrowed in confusion. 

"What do you mean 'not again'?" Carlos asked kindly, cautiously moving to sit on the floor as Mal continued to curl into Evie's side. The son of Cruella moved forward, coming to sit in front of Jay, with a confused but reassuring smile on his face, one that immediately falls as Mal continued to move closer to Evie, soft shivers raging through her body with every violent shake of her head.

"Calm down Mal" Evie ordered softly, relaxing greatly when Mal's nails loosened from where they had been buried into the princess's arm. "Talk to us, M. We're here to help" 

"I can't fail" Mal replied automatically.

"Fail what, sweetie?" Evie asked, her voice sweet and kind as she whispered to Mal with a kiss on the purple-haired teenager's head.

"You" she answered in a tiny voice, "I can't pretend anymore. P-Please don't make me" 

"We will never force you to do anything Mal" Carlos reassured, "If you don't want to go back then we don't. But please, talk to us. Why would you think you could have ever failed us?" 

"Not you two" Mal muttered through her tears, "Evie. I can't fail  _Evie_ a-again" 

"Why would you ever think you would let me down, sweetheart?" Evie asked softly, pulling back enough to be able to see into Mal's tear-filled eyes.

"You wanted me to be happy. It felt like you wanted me to be a princess" Mal answered. Maybe for the first time in Evie's life, she was rendered speechless by Mal's words as the purple-haired teenager returned her head back to its original resting place, pressed against Evie's chest to hear the steady rhythmic beating of the princess's heart. It was  _her_ actions - _her_ words- that had made Mal feel like a failure when she couldn't act like the perfect princesses that inhabited Auradon. It never occurred to Evie that, while she settled into Auradon with the grace and dignity of a native princess, someone like Mal would have a hard time changing her ways so suddenly. 

Deciding to deal with the effects of Mal's word later, Evie raised her head to face the two concerned boys in front of her -noticing the worrying glances the two boys repeated as the princess's face remained emotionless bar the small tears building in the corner of her dark brown eyes. "Jay, go get some extra blankets and pillows from the storage room downstairs. Carlos, go get my bed ready. Mal will be staying in my room for the night" Evie ordered, "Now" She added when the boys didn't move. Jay and Carlos shared another concerned filled glance before rising from their seats and walking towards the door, leaving without a word spoken between them. "Ben, get me that blanket at the end of the sofa" 

Immediately jumping into action, the young king moved to get the large cover thrown over the arm of the sofa and opened it, noticing the beautiful lace pattern that covered the dark burgundy silk blanket. The piece of fabric was long and simple, with slightly frayed edges from where it had been used so often but was otherwise in perfect condition. It seemed almost familiar to Ben as the king ran his thumb over the material.

"Ben?" Evie asked with concern, knocking the teenager out of his dream-like state. Ben nodded quickly before rushing forward, gently wrapping the piece of fabric around Mal's shaking shoulders like the princess has intended before he sat back down. Evie smiled in thanks before adjusting the fabric tighter around Mal's shoulder while the teen snuggled closer to her best friend, her eyes closed tightly as Evie gently ran her fingers through Mal's dark purple hair. 

"I know that fabric from somewhere" Ben mentioned after a couple of minutes of silence, filled with the gentle hum from the princess as Mal moved closer to her best friend for warmth and comfort. Evie paused her melody and looked up from her best friend towards the son of Belle with a small smile.

"It's the shawl Aurora had with her when she met Prince Philip" Evie explained, "Aurora gave it to Maleficent when she was transferred over here. She said that it was a promise that she would get Maleficent or anyone with the shawl off of the Isle" Ben sent a sorrowful smile towards Evie who returned the gesture with a small smile of her own as she moved one of her hands away from Mal's back and placed it in the small gap between them. The young king sighed in relief as he placed his hand upon Evie's, her eyes shining with happiness at the feeling of Evie's fingers clasping around his own in a reassuring grip. "It's okay" Evie reassured, "Maleficent gave the blanket to Mal, in hopes that one day, Aurora would keep her promise and get the person with the blanket off of the Isle. Maleficent only cared about protecting her daughter" 

"How do I know it then?" Ben asked.

"Audrey has one" Evie answered, "It's a copy but her mother gave it to her. Apparently, she said that it would link both sides of her story together within the fabric. She never explained how or that Maleficent had a piece of the shawl on the Isle. Audrey had half of it, Maleficent the other half -eventually Mal. Audrey only found out when Mal told her when the two and I went on a day trip and Audrey took the shawl" Evie added. 

"It's nice that she has that" Ben commented 

"Yea" Evie sighed. "She always used to cuddle up to it after a nightmare. It seemed the only thing possible to calm her down" Evie looked down at Mal with a happy smile, noticing the calm features painted onto the teenager's face as she slept peacefully against her best friend. 

"I hope you had that too" Ben commented as Evie looked back at the king with a confused expression, "Had a parent that cared for you, I mean" he clarified. He knew very little about Evie's life on the Isle Of The Lost in comparison to what he knew of Jay, Carlos's or Mal's life on the island his father condemned them too. He knew that she often spent most of her time at the hideout she and her friends shared and though he didn't know the reason, he knew she barely spent any time with her mother -mainly because her friends often begged her not to. The king understood that while Jafar and Cruella weren't the best parents -long lists of chores and some of the many scars littering both the boy's bodies were evidence enough that the two villains didn't deserve such wonderful sons- Maleficent was the best parent of the four; with high expectations being the only downfall of the parent, Maleficent tried very hard to give the best life she could for Mal and her friends. 

Always supplying warm food and a place to stay, Maleficent never once prevented Mal or her friends from staying at her castle. Every lesson the mistress of evil taught was taught with their best interests at heart -Maleficent feared that one day Mal or her friends would fall in love, which would leave them all vulnerable for attack and exposed to the outside world- and while she didn't act like it in front of the other people, she cared for Mal and her group of friends like they were her own children. He hoped that, apart from Maleficent, Evie had someone else like that in her life as well. 

"Well, Maleficent was a very good person to me and my friends" Evie reassured, "She made sure I knew everything I possibly could to one day help Mal rule a kingdom. My mother wasn't like that and my Papa, well, he wasn't around much" Evie whispered, the air surrounding her words thick with emotion. "I had to leave my Papa when I was maybe ten or so. He was the kindest man I have ever known"  

"You knew your father?" Ben asked. He had always suspected that Evie didn't know her father, based on the fact that either did Carlos or Mal and Jay didn't know his mother. Like the other friends, Evie barely talked about their other parents and Ben assumed it was due to lack of information. "Sorry" he apologised, quickly realising the words he had spoken when Evie rose to meet his gaze with an amused smile and slightly raised eyebrow. "That came out wrong. I meant...well, you know-" 

"It's fine, Ben" Evie cut off, "My Papa was a lovely man who cared greatly for me. I only wish I could see him now" 

"Did he...did he die?" Ben asked cautiously.

"No" Evie exclaimed quietly, "Well...not really. It's hard to explain but to put it simply, my Papa didn't die but I couldn't see him anymore due to...circumstances. Unfortunate circumstances"  

Just as Ben was about to respond, a small knock broke the two out of their trance as Jay stepped into the room with concern-filled eyes. Evie knew just by the guilt swimming in his eyes that Jay had unintentionally heard the last part of her and Ben's conversation and had heard Evie mention her father. The lack of information regarding Evie's father not only applied for Ben but for the rest of the VK's as well. The group didn't know a lot about Evie's father, only that he was nice and kind due to the number of times Evie spent the weekend with him instead of her friends, and the teenager never spoke of him after her mother forced her to stop meeting with her father when she was ten. 

"Sorry, E" Jay apologised, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop" 

"It's alright" Evie quickly dismissed

"Well, I got the blanket and pillows upstairs as you wanted them in your room" Jay explained 

"Thanks, Jay" Evie thanked, "Get Mal off of me and take her to my room? Make sure she doesn't wake up. I'll be there in a moment" Evie ordered softly as Jay nodded, moving forward in silent steps. Leaning down, Jay snaked his arms under Mal's knees and around her back before lifting her off of the sofa and into his arms. Evie stood with them, gently brushing the hair away from Mal's eyes as the sleeping teenager snuggled closer to Jay. "I'll be up in a second" Evie whispered as Jay nodded, slowly turning back around with Mal in his arms as he exited the room and went up to the top floor of the hideout. 

"What's wrong?" Ben asked from where he sat, watching as Evie ran her hand through her hair in frustration. The young king stood up silently and walked closer to the teenager, slowly turning the princess around with soft touches before resting his hands on the girl's elbows while her hands snaked around his forearms. Freshly made tears lined Evie's eyes as she looked up at the slightly older teenager, her lip quivering softly as she bit down on her bottom lip with almost too much power -the soft skin of the princess's lips turning a bright red under the girl's clear lipstick until Ben was scared that the skin would break under the pressure. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ben repeated.

"Do you think she was right?" Evie asked quietly. 

"What?" Ben asked.

"That she changed because of me" Evie explained, "She always said she wanted to be me over there but I didn't think...I didn't think she  _really_ wanted to be me. It means... _I_ am the reason she left" 

"No, you're not" Ben argued, "Mal left because the pressure put on her -by  _me_ \- got too much for her to handle. It had nothing to do with you or the boys or anyone else you want to try and pinpoint. You can't blame yourself for liking Auradon and wanting her to be happy in a place that would accept her" 

"I remember telling her so many things. How the dresses she wore looked _beautiful_ , how her hair looked so _perfect_ , that she was doing so  _well_ at school. I told her all that, me!" Evie exclaimed, softly tightening her grip on Ben's forearms. "And after I said those things she would change. She wore more dresses, she styled her hair and tried harder at school. Everything I said made her change to become...a princess. Mal became the princess I always wanted to be" 

Ben removed one of his hands from Evie's elbow and raised it, gently cupping the princess's cheek as he wiped away the large tears running down her cheeks like a steady river. The blue-haired princess leaned into the king's touch, smiling softly as Ben concentrated on removing the tears with a new form of kindness swimming in his eyes while Evie's eyes reflected the same thankful look in her eyes. "This is not your fault" Ben started, his tone leaving Evie no room to argue, "You were the best sister Mal could have possibly ever had. You helped her when things got bad -when I couldn't be there for her- and tried so hard to make sure Mal was comfortable in Auradon. Without your help, I could possibly still be under a love spell and Maleficent would have taken over the kingdom. Everything good that's ever happened with Mal and Auradon is because you were the only one -bar Jay and Carlos, of course- who was able to see the goodness in Mal when no one else did" 

"It's not my fault?" Evie asked, "We will get her back and she'll be happy?" 

"We will both make sure that Mal spends the rest of her life happy" Ben replied with a smile, "And if I have to move to the Isle Of The Lost so I can see her every day then I will. And I can even get you your designs" Evie smiled at the king's sincerity, "Who am I to break up two sisters?" 

"Thanks, Ben" Evie thanked.

"You're welcome" 

"Well, we should go see her then. Make sure she is okay" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if it was a little confusing from the last chapter or so, Pearl and Oceana are Uma's sisters. Oceana is the eldest and 'queen' of the west side of the Isle Of The Lost -like Mal is 'queen' of the east side, as it is cut in half- which makes Uma and Pearl the princesses. Pearl is the youngest of the three -fourteen years old- while Uma is sixteen/seventeen years old and Oceana is eighteen years old.  
> They are all half-sisters who share the same mother but a different father. Later, it will be revealed who those fathers are and who Evie's father is because it's one of the main parts of the plot to this story.  
> P.S. this is set a week before Cotillion so they still have around five days to prepare and get Mal back to Auradon, but will she go in time or will Cotillion be cancelled?


	4. "Happy memories cherished forever"

Dominant, intense azure-coloured waves crashed against the discoloured wood of  _The Jolly Roger_ as the stars hung proudly in the thick blanket above the harbour, where small groups of sailors walked silently along the wooden planks on prole. Inside the famous boat once owned by Captian Hook, tucked away in a dark room only lighted by the soft shine of the stars illuminating through the open windows, were Harry and Uma as the two lay silently on the latter's spacious bed. Thin sheets of silk covered the two's naked forms as they cuddled closer to one another, with one of Harry's arms tucked under Uma's head while the captain curled into her First Mate, their legs pleasantly intangled together under the covers. Callused fingers combed through Uma's long braids with care as his other hand simultaneously traced soft patterns on the teenager's hip bone, the only barrier between the two skins being the soft fabric of the bed sheets. "What are you thinking about, my love?" Uma asked, her voice quiet and soft as it fluttered around the room. Harry hummed contently at the nickname as he pressed a gentle kiss on the top of the captain's head, unable to stop the smile that spread against his lips at the small childish giggle which escaped Uma's parted lips at the action. 

"Our future" Harry simply replied to the previous question.

"Oh, yea?" Uma teased as she tilted her head back to gaze into the pirate's ocean blue eyes. "So what's it like?" Uma questioned.

"Happy" He replied simply, "No worries about food or water. A large cottage beside the sea with kids and a happy family" Uma smiled at the image Harry had created, already feeling the soft touch of the waves against her toes from where he described. For Uma, the idea of growing old and having children with Harry was inevitable -like the sun rising and falling every day, it was to be expected- and an idea she spent many nights contemplating. She wanted to be better than her mother, just like Harry wished to be better than his own father. Uma always knew that she wanted to be a mother -she wanted to write the wrongs her mother had written within her- and she couldn't think of anyone that would help her complete that dream better than Harry. "Maybe in Auradon" Harry added with a soft shrug as Uma's eyes narrowed questioningly. "Evie said she could get us there. Families too. Just need to ask" 

"I can't, my love. Not yet anyway" Uma replied in an apologetic tone. "My people need me-" 

"I need ya" Harry interrupted, "I need ya to keep me sane. I need ya to help me and love me, unlike anyone else"

"I will" Uma reassured as she moved closer, her chest pressed against Harry's as she leaned up to press a gentle kiss against Harry's lips, the soft taste of the sea passing between them. "I will always love you, my pirate. More than anyone in the world" The captain muttered against the First Mate's lips, leaving a small smile on the latter's lips as she pulled away and rested her head on his chest. "I can't leave though, this place is my home. I need to be here, for everyone" 

"Evie said we could get everyone over here" Harry added.

"I'm not trusting Auradon" Uma muttered against Harry's chest, "I trust Evie -you know I do- but I do not trust Auradon. They turned their back on us, Harry. They left us. I can't forgive them for that. The things we have had to see -brothers and sisters starving, families split apart due to gang conflicts and small children never getting a decent chance at a good life- are all their fault" 

"I know, love, I really do" Harry nodded in agreement, "But what if we make the first move? What if we make the demands? It puts us in a position of power over them. What if we went for a vacation of sorts? Didn't stay long but long enough to test out the waters." Harry suggested, "Tested it out for everyone. You, me and Gil. The three of us and when we return here, we can start bringing people to Auradon -knowing it's trustworthy. We'd know it wasn't some trap" 

"We're villains to them, my love. They aren't going to let us walk in and out however we please" Uma argued softly, "I know you want to leave this place but...I can't have my First Mate walk into hostile territory without help. Please understand. I want you safe. I can't lose you" 

"Ya will never lose me" Harry replied determinedly as Uma sat up, looking into Harry's eyes with an uncertain expression. It didn't matter how many times he told her -how many times he protected her, made her laugh and worshipped her like the true goddess of the sea- because the result was always the same; Uma would smile and repeat the words with a full heart and wait to be ripped apart and left alone. It was the result of years of neglect and abuse from her mother. No matter what, she always felt the heartbreaking ache in her chest that screamed at her that he would leave her. Those five words -muttered between early morning kisses or passionate moments within the two's relationship- meant more to Uma than the 'I love you's' or half-made promises which supported many relationships. Those five words were important to Uma. 

As simple as they were, they held a large commitment between the two pirates. 

Harry would not leave Uma.

Uma would not leave Harry. 

It was that simple and yet, the vow between them was more than anyone else could comprehend. 

"I will if you leave. I'll lose you" In a moment of pure vulnerability, Uma allowed the words to escape her and float within the room, made louder by the pure silence which had previously wrapped around the couple like a thick blanket. Harry stilled, his eyes fixated on his captain as she turned her head and glared down at the silk blanket wrapped around the two of them. "I...I know it's selfish but what happens if -when you leave for Auradon and I stay here- something bad happens? A-And not Isle-bad but  _really_ bad? Who will help me? I can't ask Gil to do that, he'll just ask you and-" Uma rambled, her eyes filling with large tears as she glared angrily at the silk sheets of the bed. 

Harry couldn't take it -he couldn't take seeing Uma so upset over the belief that he would leave her when she needed him most- and in one solid movement, he wrapped his arms around Uma's waist and pulled her closer, leaving the pirate captain to straddle the former with only a thin piece of material separating them. Automatically wrapping her arms around Harry's shoulders, Uma let out a soft sigh as she nuzzled her head into the crook of Harry's neck while the pirate placed his hands on her hips, his fingers immediately tracing soft circles across her skin. 

"I can't lose you" Uma repeated into Harry's neck.

"You won't" Harry replied, "You will never lose me, love" 

"I will if you go to Auradon" 

"Lean back a moment" Harry ordered softly, his voice soft and calm as Uma sighed and tensed her shoulders. "It's just me, beloved" He reassured. Uma listened to Harry's words and slowly moved back, her eyes moving to meet Harry's as the pirate smiled softly at her and waited for Uma to relax. Thankfully, that didn't take to long. "Give me your hand" Harry ordered again, his own hand coming to rest in between them as Uma removed one of her hands from his shoulder and placed it in his, their fingers instantly linking together in a tight yet comforting grip. Moving their hands up, Uma watched intently as Harry removed his hand from hers and pressed it gently against his skin, right above where his heart lay, beating quickly and at a steady beat. "This" Harry started to explain, "This is all I have. This is all I can promise to give you. I can't give you a castle. I can't give you the life you deserve. But I  _can_ give you love and sweetheart, with that, comes the promise that I will  _never_ leave you. Even if I go to Auradon, you will always have my heart" 

"I want you" Uma muttered, "I want you and nothing else"

"You have me" Harry simply replied, "You have all that I am. I can't promise you the future -Zeus knows I want to- but I can promise you now. This moment" Harry promised.

"What if it's our last moment?" Uma asked softly.

"If it is our last moment, then I would have spent it with the woman who has captured my heart" Harry smiled as his unoccupied hand rose up to wipe away the small tears remaining on Uma's cheeks. 

"The woman whose currently crying her eyes out" Uma giggled softly, leaning into Harry's touch as he continued to wipe away the tears. 

"The same woman who looks gorgeous" Harry complimented as he leaned forward, his lips brushing gently against his captains which caused a soft shiver to run up the daughter of Ursula's back. "The same woman I love" He muttered against her lips before leaning forward, capturing her lips in a loving but fierce kiss which sparked heavy fireworks between the two as they moved in perfect harmony.  

* * *

On the other side of the island, the blue-haired princess sat alone in the corner chair of her individual chamber, her legs tucked comfortably under herself as her old diary balanced open upon her knee. Dressed warmly in her Isle Of The Lost pyjamas -a pair of dark blue silk bottoms and a tucked-in old top coloured with Mal's spray paint- Evie relaxed in the chair with a contented sigh, a happy smile playing at the edges of her bare lips as the lamp located near her illuminated her make-up free features in the darkened room. Evie's room -which was indeed the simplest of the four bedrooms in the hideout- was coloured a deep blue shade along the back wall of the room, the other three remaining bare to display the dark burgundy coloured bricks. Pressed up against the back wall was Evie's large queen sized bed which was surrounded by two bedside tables painted a dark brown shade, and stood at the bottom of the bed was a comfortable two-seater sofa which rested against the wooden frame of the bed. A dark vanity table was pressed against the wall, opposite the bed, and matched with the Chester draws lining the room and covered with bottles of half-used perfume and high-branded makeup from Auradon. Framed pictures of beautiful memories lined the walls of the bedroom, surrounding the large windows at the end of the room -above the vanity table- and the largest outside wall, and simplifying a familiar sense of happiness and comfort to the small room. 

Mal was peacefully asleep on the large bed in Evie's room, her back facing Evie as the purple-haired teenager softly snored into the quiet room. The daughter of Maleficent was still dressed in her Isle Of The Lost clothes -minus the leather jacket tied around her waist which was now resting on the arm of Evie's chair- and was cuddled against one of Evie's many silk pillows, a soft pillow wrapped tightly around Mal while she slept. A soft knock at Evie's door caused Mal to stir, the blue-haired princess instantly rushing to softly shushing her before getting up and opening the door, smiling softly at Jay as he stood on the other side of the door. 

"Hey, Evie" Jay greeted, "I thought we could talk" At Evie's confused expression, Jay decided to elaborate, "I mean, we haven't talked much since arriving here and I wanted to know if you were okay. But if you don't want to talk we don't have to. I mean, it's not like I don't want to but-" 

"Jay" Evie cut off with a smile, softly laughing as Jay stopped talking with a relieved sigh. "I would love to talk. But let's talk in here, Mal's finally asleep and I don't want to wake her" Evie commanded softly as she stepped forward, closing the door of the bedroom with a final look to make sure Mal was still asleep. Thankfully, she was. Jay and Evie walked into the main room, smiling at one another in the dim lighting of the room as they both sat down on the large sofa under Mal's painting of the four of them -silently relieved that Carlos was asleep in his separate room and Ben was currently resting in Jay's room, as the thief had offered to stay in Mal's room so Ben was comfortable. "So" Evie started once she got comfortable, her legs tucked under herself as she leant against the back of the sofa. "What do you want to talk about?" 

"Well, earlier I heard you and Ben talking on accident" Jay replied with an uneasy smile while he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. 

"So you heard me talk about..."Evie guessed.

"Yea" Jay responded.

"Listen, Jay, it really isn't important. I was just answering a question Ben gave me" Evie shrugged. 

"No" Jay denied with a shake of his head, "It wasn't. You never talk about your father, you told us to never mention it. Why the sudden change of heart?" 

"I guess being here made me relieve everything" Evie shrugged, "It wasn't anything to think about Jay. It was a small comment made in a moment of pure exhaustion" 

"You mentioned that he left when you were ten" Jay suddenly blurted out, an apologetic look shining in the ex-thief's deep brown eyes. "You don't have to talk about it but please...talk to me" Jay pleaded, reaching over and taking one of Evie's hands in his own with a reassuring smile. "We've all been so caught up in looking after Mal that none of us really took the time to understand the effects this place is having on  _us._ I'm sorry, I should have paid attention sooner. It shouldn't have taken a comment about your father to make me realise how this place is getting to you" 

"You didn't do anything wrong" Evie reassured with a gentle squeeze of Jay's hand. "We both haven't been paying attention to each other. No one is to blame" Evie added.

"I should have known something was wrong the minute you started thinking about your mother. I shouldn't have let it get to this point" Jay argued.

"Jay, I have been thinking of my Papa for the past seven years. In every second, in every minute, in every hour of every day, I think about what it would be like if I made a different choice that day. My mother has always been a distant thought. It is something, not even  _you_ could fight" Evie smiled, "But I know you'll try anyway" 

Jay chuckled softly at the joke. "I will" Jay nodded, "But what did you mean before? About making a choice?"

"Why are you so fascinated with this?" Evie asked sceptically, "This isn't that exciting" 

"But it's a part of your life. A good part too." Jay argued softly, "It may not be exciting or fascinating or like any of the stories Auradon is based on and it may just be about a princess who loses her father but that's the point" Jay added.

"So the point of this story is that a princess lost her father?" Evie asked, confused as her eyebrow raised in a silent question. "That doesn't sound like a good story. I think I prefer the ones in Auradon." 

"The point is that it's  _your_ story" Jay replied, "In a hundred years from now -when people want to know who the great designer and councillor to the king,  _Evie Queen_ was- they will look at your history and see that when your father left, it made you stronger" 

"My father didn't leave" Evie corrected, her eyes moving to the ground as she stared at a patch of wooden flooring intently. " _I_ left. I didn't want anyone saying anything about it so I came up that story. It was easier being a kid with one parent like everyone else then it was being the kid who pushed away her Papa. Especially considering he was the  _best_ person in the world to me" 

"If you don't mind me asking..." Jay muttered, his unused hand reaching over and tucking a piece of Evie's deep blue hair away from her face and behind her ear, giving the ex-thief a clear view of the teenager's tear-filled eyes. "Why did you leave when you could have been happy?"

"My mother" Evie explained simply, feeling the hardened glare of her best friend against her cheek as the Evil Queen was mentioned. It was no secret that Evie's best friends all hated the Evil Queen with a passion that could rival some other villains. While none of their parents was like the ones in Auradon, the Evil Queen was possibly the worst one on the island. With ridiculously torturous punishments dished out at random times when Evie visited her mother and the harsh decline of food within the castle, Evie grew up with pain and despair as a best friend. For some reason, despite the pain and the suffering and the constant begging of her friends to leave the castle and her mother forever, Evie never did abandon her mother -even when the bruises graduated to cuts and the starvation turned deadly. Carlos hated the Evil Queen. Mal despised the Evil Queen. Jay loathed the Evil Queen.

By all accounts, she hurt his sister. Jay promised to get revenge for the years he had spent disinfecting and cleaning Evie's opened wounds and, despite being away for almost six months, that deep-rooted desire never left. It only seemed to increase. It increased every time Evie declined her food from Auradon Prep's cafeteria. It increased every time Evie would look in a mirror and see nothing but flaws, even though Jay had insisted that there were none. It increased every time Evie said that she couldn't wear something because of the scars which littered her arm. 

It increased every time Jay saw just how broken the Evil Queen had made her daughter. 

"Jay, calm down" Evie sighed softly as she looked up at her best friend, gently squeezing the son of Jafar's hand with a reassuring smile. "I'm okay now. Remember, you saved me from her a long time ago" 

"What happened?" Jay asked

"Do you really want to know or do you feel like you  _need_ to?" Evie asked softly. She knew Jay -she knew him better than he knew himself- and she understood that the son of Jafar some times like his honour and dignity as a brother cloud his better judgement. He had seen so many things in his life for the purpose of honouring the victim -he saw and started fights in the streets which ended badly when someone would scare or call Evie a name, he would rant and scream at the bullies at their previous school who had the audacity to threaten Carlos and he would plan the worst attacks on people with Mal when someone hurt anyone in the group, all in the line of honouring his friends- and Evie wanted to withhold on any information that could put images in his head. 

Images of her crying endlessly and shutting people out, covering bruises and cuts from Mal and the rest of the gang just so she didn't have to talk about it. Images of her screaming in agony as her heart was split in two from making the wrong choice. Images of the Evil Queen's smug smile as Evie stubbornly wiped away her tears, not wanting her mother to have the satisfaction of knowing that she was finally broken. Evie didn't want to put Jay through it if he didn't need to. 

"I want to know" Jay decided without hesitation, his voice sure and confident as he gently squeezed Evie's palm in his. "I want to know what I missed. I want to know how none of us could have caught even a glimpse of you hurting" 

"You did, though" Evie smiled, gently running her fingers over the top of Jay's knuckles. "You saw me breaking for days but I never told you why. You saw me cry and scream and lock everyone out but you never knew why. You tried to understand but...I never told you" 

"What?" Jay asked, curiosity burning in his narrowed eyes, "When did we do that?" 

"Mal had just gone on a trip to the other side of the Isle, she wouldn't be back for two days" Evie started as she looked down at her and Jay's intertwined hands, continuing the gentle circular movements on Jay's knuckles as she gulped softly, "I had told you that I had gone to see my mother -you and Carlos begged me not to go, saying it wasn't safe with Mal being far away and it's still one of the only times I've seen you and Carlos sad to be correct in the matter- and you pulled me into a hug and told me that everything was going to be okay. _I_ pushed _you_ away. I said I didn't want anyone's help and that I could handle it myself" Jay chuckled softly, remembering the princess's stubbornness as a child which carried on well into her teenage years.

"You didn't know what to do" Evie continued, "So you tried to help me as Mal would. I shut myself in my room and you could _break_   _in_ and make sure I ate and drank enough water. Mal came back and that was when you had had enough of it" Evie smiled, "You ordered Mal into the living room and then grabbed me and threw me over your shoulder. I left so many bruises on your back from hitting you"

"I remember now" Jay smiled with a small laugh, "I placed you down and said that Carlos and I were going to sit downstairs until you were okay again. We could hear your shouting all the way downstairs; shouting that you were okay and didn't need or want to talk about it" 

"I didn't" Evie nodded, "Talk about it, I mean" Evie clarified, "I didn't talk about it. I needed to but I was so stubborn. I believed that you three wouldn't understand why I left. It was better in my mind for you to believe that I had seen my mother then I had seen my Papa for the last time" 

"Can you tell me why you left?" Jay asked softly. 

"A week or so before that, I had visited my father. I was supposed to go to my mothers -she wanted additional lessons on being an obedient princess- but I could barely last two hours before I went upstairs and snuck out. I went to my Papa's, with my arms covered in bruises and small cuts and just...the usual" Evie shrugged, softly squeezing Jay's hand when the ex-thief growled at the information. He knew the Evil Queen hurt Evie but the way she spoke -like it was as natural as the sun rising and the tides of the sea moving- made him  _angry_. If the Evil Queen had been nicer, Evie wouldn't have had to deal with half of the demons she has to. 

"Papa didn't know about any of that. He thought that Mother was a good person to me" Evie whispered, "I was in my room when she came in-"

"Who?" Jay asked immediately. 

"I was getting to that" Evie chided with a smile, "She was my sister. My Papa's daughter. She's a couple of years older than me -she'll be eighteen years old now- and yet, she was the most protective but loving human being a person could know. She walked into my room -intent on showing a new book that she had finished and assumed I may enjoy- and saw the bruises I was trying to cover with makeup. She saw them, dropped the book and immediately rushed to my side. At first, she asked if I did them, I obviously told her no. I was too young then to think about what my words would mean and I said that it wasn't me but it  _was_ my fault that I had them"

"It wasn't your fault" Jay argued, "None of it was. It was that witch of a mother" 

"I know that now" Evie smiled back reassuringly, "My sister figured it out very quickly and called for Papa. She never let me go until Papa came into the room. It almost felt wrong to rip his smile away but Papa noticed my tears and my sister's tears and she explained everything. I said nothing. Throughout the whole conversation, she hugged me and kissed my head, whispering that I would never be in pain again for as long as she lived. I knew she couldn't guarantee that but...it was nice to hear" Evie smiled through the tears bordering the princess's dark brown eyes.

"What did your father do?" Jay asked, gently squeezing Evie's hand.

"He was shocked at first but then asked how long it had been going on for" Evie sighed, "It broke my heart to tell him that I didn't know; that I couldn't say because it has been happening since before I can remember. He hugged us both -my sister and me- and both of us cried but Papa didn't, he got really angry. I stayed the night and the next day -after convincing my step-mother and sister that I was going straight home and _not_ to my mothers- I went home. Everything returned to normal" 

"Then why did you leave?" Jay asked. The son of Jafar stayed quiet as Evie sighed deeply, her eyes flattering back to the wooden flooring of the hideout as she softly wiped away her tears.

"By all accounts, the next day he visited my mother. They hadn't spoken since I was born. He demanded sole custody of me and told my mother that I was to live with him and his family, on a completely different part of the island. He demanded that I cut all ties with her, even chance my last name to his family so I would never be associated with her again. My mother was unfazed and said that I was old enough to make my own decisions when it came to who I lived with" 

"You were barely ten years old!" Jay exclaimed in shock. 

"I know" Evie nodded, "It was her plan. Would you be surprised when I tell you that after my Papa left, she threatened me?" Unsurprisingly, Jay shook his head.  _It was exactly what the Evil Queen would do_ , Jay thought bitterly. "She told me that if I left, she would make sure that no one would on this side of the Isle would ever talk to me again -you and Carlos and Mal included. She promised to spread the  _worst_ of lies about me until you three couldn't even think my name without being disgusted." 

"We would never-" 

"You don't know that" Evie interrupted, "We were young and foolish. I gave up the one parent who ever loved me just so rumours couldn't be spread about me" Evie laughed bitterly, "We were all dumb at that age. We all stayed with our parents, knowing that what they did was wrong. We stayed with people who abused us just so we could have a half-broken roof over our heads and a small amount of food in our bellies. We weren't the same gang we are now. We have gotten so much closer" Evie gently squeezed Jay's hand reassuringly,  her smile momentarily slipping from her face, "But, eventually, you would have cracked and started to hate me for the rumours" 

"We would have been able to deal with some small rumours" Jay replied, "Those rumours wouldn't have blinded us to the  _real_ you. You still would have been the most amazing princess this island has ever had. Some small rumours wouldn't change that" 

"They weren't just some small rumours" Evie argued back forcefully, a tone of sadness and betrayal lacing her tone. "They were terrible rumours that were  _true_. That's what was bad about them. That fact that you could have asked about them at any point in the day and I would have been forced to tell you that they were true, terrified me. And my mother knew that" Evie removed her hands from Jay's in a small but forceful tug, leaning away from Jay with an angry grimace as she moved one of her hands into her hair, tugging on it tightly. "I  _let_ her know my weaknesses. I failed to be smart. It's my fault I lost Papa" 

"Your mother was a manipulative, terrible, not-good-" Jay growled, quickly stopping with a single glare from Evie. She may have been from the Isle Of The Lost, but Evie hated hearing swear words and pleaded with the whole group until they stopped using them in their daily vocabulary. In this sense, Evie could agree with Jay's choice of words for her mother but that never changed her dislike for the vulgar words. "You know what I mean. There was no way you could have hid those secrets forever. She would have found out eventually. And in this case, she knew at the wrong time and wrong place and used that to her advantage. You did nothing wrong" 

"My Papa...had to see bruises on his  _own daughter_ because of my mother. And yet, I...I still went home at the end of every week to that  _abuser_ " Evie cried in anger, tears of rage and fury blurring her vision as she glared at the floor. "How could I have been that st-" 

"Don't say it" Jay growled as he reached forward, grabbing one of Evie's hands and removing it from her hair as he encased her hand with his. He hated when she belittled herself, especially when he saw her as perfection personified. From the way she spoke to the way she carried herself to the way she cared about others, Jay couldn't believe how Evie could so easily diminish herself as if she was nothing more then a confused and unintelligent little girl. "You are so much more then what your mother called you. You are smart and brave and beautiful and I will not let you use any other negative words to describe yourself. Do you understand?" 

"I left him, Jay" Evie whispered, "I left my siblings and my  _Madre_ , even when I promised I would never do such a thing. I'm a liar" 

" _Madre_ means 'Mother' right? In Spanish?" Jay asked as Evie smiled softly with pride through the small tears forming in her eyes. 

"Well done" Evie congratulated with a watery smile. "Mother didn't know Spanish, Oceana and  _Mandre_ taught me when I was little. I took so much fun in watching Mother's confused face when I spoke Spanish. I soon learnt not to. It was nice, having  _Madre_ and not having to worry about anything I mean. She was amazing. I missed her terribly -her advice, her confidence, her personality. She sang me songs and read me stories; she was a true  _Madre_  in every sense of the word" 

"She sounds a lot like you" Jay commented with a smile.

"Nah" Evie sighed, "She was great and intelligent. If I had told her...Zeus knows she would have given my mother a piece of her mind" Evie laughed softly, "She was good like that. Strong and determined. You would have loved her" Jay raised an eyebrow curiously, "She valued the idea of women being able to fight. She was there when my older sister taught me everything she knew -and she knew a lot- and I taught my younger sister. It was a tradition. One that will carry on if I ever have a child. I will teach her to fight, you know?" 

"Yea" Jay smiled with a small nod. 

"Mother hated her. She hated her just as much as she hated me. She called her a witch. She said she had me under a spell, that one day it was all going to disappear when the spell broke. She broke me so much that day. I even missed my training session because I didn't want to see anyone." Evie's warm smile dropped at the sudden memories swirling around in her head, violently hitting her brain until she clutched her throbbing head. "Mother called me stubborn and an idiot for believing such things. It was her first condition when I left Papa; I was never to see  _Madre_ or my brothers and sisters again" 

Jay had finally had enough. Wrapping his arms around the princess's torso, Evie sank quickly into the embrace as she wrapped her arms around Jay's middle, snuggling her head into the ex-thief's chest with a small contented sigh. Jay smiled softly, ignoring the feeling of small tears dropping onto his t-shirt as he gently ran his finger's through Evie's curled hair. No words were exchanged between the two teenagers -no condescending shushes or empty words of encouragement passed through the loud silence- as they clung onto one another, ignoring the distant noses from the market place down the alley. 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Five More Minutes

The threatening sound of laughter pushed Mal out of her tranquil slumber, her head shotting up at the powerful slap of hurt against her pale cheek and striking against the sharp and uneven rock wall of a small cell. Tugging vigorously at the metal cuffs around her wrists, Mal quickly noticed that she was confined -two large cuffs made of specks of iron encased her separated feet as well as her wrists, stretching her limbs towards opposing ends of the wall and burning into Mal's soft skin- within the miniature room, filled with nothing but barren chains and shallow pools of murky water. Mal wished she could say she was alone -that the menacing cackle she had previously heard was her imagination and that the small cry of distress which followed the stinging of her cheek was her own- but sadly, she could not as she raised her head, her eyes narrowing down into a tight glare at the smirking face of... herself. 

A copy of Mal stood in the centre of the room, her hair multiple shades darker then Mal's natural purple hair colour and her eyes permanently shinning an evil emerald green. Her skin was a milky white -even paler than Mal's original skin colour- and proudly displayed the dark red veins running across the copies menacing features. Dressed in a long, sheer blank dress with a long train which hugged all the teenagers curved, the copy looked exactly like Mal would envision her evil side to be. Sheer pieces of fabric crossed against the teenager's chest and joined together at the back, bunching together to create an opake skirt which fell elegantly towards the floor, covering the large heels the purple-haired teenager was no doubt wearing due to the large difference in height. Altogether, the copy of Mal looked completely evil and Mal dreaded it. 

Kneeled beside the copy of Mal, her face reddened with pain and deep rips decorating her outfit and arms, was her own shaking best friend. Evie lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes filled with tears of agony as a silent scream escaped her lips. Mal's eyes widened, her arms moving frantically to reach out for her best friend when the other Mal silently raised her hand to rest opposite her twisted face, a wicked smile on her lips as her fingers slowly began to curl back towards her palm. Evie screamed, her hands frantically clawing at her chest - _at her heart_ \- as large unstoppable tears spilt from her chocolate brown eyes. 

Mal tucked violently at the chains wrapped around her wrists, ignoring the burning sensation as the iron burned into her fairy-skin, as an impassioned scream escaped the teenager's lips, mixing with Evie's while the second Mal grinned madly, not a trace of anxiousness or remorse evident within her hardened expression. No words were shared between the two teenagers as the evil fairy opened her hand fully, allowing the princess beside her a moment of composure as Evie breathed in deeply. 

Gasps and sighs filled the room as Evie regained her breath, slowly raising her head to look at her best friend. "Don't worry, Mal, I'm safe and fine. Nothing will happen to me, I promise. She would never hurt me." A small smile grew on the princess's lips, a tearful nod exchanged between the two teenagers before it happened. Seconds seemed to turn into minutes and minutes into hours as Evie smiled, her eyes fixated on Mal with a loving smile as the latter's moved over to her copy, instantly hating the darkened grin on the teenager's face. Raising her hand behind Evie's head, Mal's copy sent a menacing smile towards her double and before another second passed -before Mal could call out Evie's name or thrash against the metal chains holding her back, begging to be released- the copy closed her fist in a vice-like grip.  

Against Mal's pleas and cries, Evie's now lifeless body fell backwards and towards the hardened ground of the cell, her hair fanned out against the stone floor and her face empty of all the emotion which previously plagued it. The princess looked calm and content, unaware of the storm of emotion which settled in her best friends quickly beating heart and sinking stomach. Limb arms and legs resided within the metal chains as Mal dropped her head with an excruciating scream, tears flooding out of the daughter of Maleficent's emerald coloured eyes. 

_Evie was dead. And it was her fault._

"Pathetic" The murder sneered before flicking her wrist, grinning evilly as Mal's limp body fell to the floor, a strangled cry escaping the fairies lips as her exposed knee's hit the cool stone flooring. Wasting no time at all, Mal quickly crawled over to her best friend, tears streaming down her face as she took Evie's cold hands in hers. She looked breathtaking -as if death complimented the beauty with the utmost respect, her skin transforming into an almost translucent colour against the artificial blush still remaining on her cheeks- and for a moment, Mal wondered if this was what her mother felt when Aurora was asleep. Only, Evie wasn't asleep. She wasn't going to wake up and smile warmly, she wasn't going to grow up and complete the dreams she previously had, she wasn't going to smile again or talk passionately about the latest designs in Auradon. She was never going to wake up again. 

Mal wondered if this was it; if she was going to transform into a cold and heartless monster like so many others on the Isle Of The Lost. Mal wondered if that was the plan; to destroy any goodness and love within her life, starting with Evie until Mal conformed to the belief and became  _evil_.  

Mal quickly grabbed Evie's hands, rubbing her thumbs over the princess's knuckles as she cried heavily, tears dropping from the teenager's pale cheeks and onto the leather sleeves of the princess's jacket. "Wake up" Mal commanded quickly, her tone sharp and begging as she breathed in deeply, squeezing her eyes shut. "Princess, you need to wake up. You can't leave, you promised!" Mal screamed in agony, her heart crumbling as she sucked in deep breathes. She knew -deep down she knew- that Evie wouldn't wake up no matter know loud she yelled and pleaded but it didn't matter; she needed Evie in her life. The princess was her protector, the one that fought beside her when the world drew its swords and attacked, and yet, she was gone. "You promised not to leave me! Come back, please" 

"She's not coming back" The copy grinned evilly, her wicked smirk momentarily fading as Mal's head wiped around and her eyes glowed dangerously. Returning her attention back to her sister, Mal wiped away the large tears flowing down her cheeks, an angry grimace forming on her lips as she looked down at her sister. 

"I promise, Princess, that I will get you back" Mal promised, her voice hoarse and painful as her loud sniffles filled the room. "I am so sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to hurt you, I am so, so,  _so_ sorry for not saving you against myself" Mal didn't know why, but an overwhelming sense of guilt erupted from her stomach as if she was the one who crushed Evie's heart. "Please, Evie. Don't leave me, not now, not ever" Mal begged, "E...E, please" Mal dropped her head against Evie's still chest, her large tears forming a damp patch on Evie's t-shirt. Through her heart remained tranquil and dormant, Mal could have sworn that the soft tap of water as it fell from the rock ceiling resembled Evie's previous heartbeat; beautiful and calm, never letting on to how the world had broken and torn it in two before Evie could barely survive on her own. 

It was why -on cold and lonely nights in Auradon, when the night sky seemed too dark and the loneliness seemed to hug Mal too tightly- Mal loved to crawl beside Evie as the teenager read a book,  _any book_ , with a small but loving smile on her lips. As if they followed a routine, Evie would have already pulled back the covers of her own bed by the time Mal had risen from her own, a small but relieved smile on her lips as Mal curled herself into a small position, her own arms wrapped tightly around her legs while she lay in Evie's bed -besides the blue-haired teenager. Over time Mal would relax and curl herself around Evie, -the princess still read her book, her unused hand wrapped around a strand of Mal's purple hair- placing her head on the slightly older teen's chest, listening intently to the steady heartbeat of the princess as Evie hummed softly. 

Mal loved moments like that. Moments filled with love and care for the other teenager as they protected one another. The usual demons which plagued Mal and Evie's life seemed to flutter away -the cruel threat of return falling on deaf ears- as Evie protected the slight younger teenager from everything which frightened her. Hidden within their warm dorm room -cuddled against one another for the soft comfort the other provided- the teenagers were free to be themselves. No longer the VK's or damaged children, Evie and Mal were able to smile, laugh and cry without the worry of pitiful glances from the rest of the student body of the school.

Mal only wished she could return to those carefree memories. 

Continuing resting her head against Evie's chest, violent sobs rattling her body, the purple-haired teenager begged God's to bring back her sister. She begged for just  _five more minutes_ with her, abling her to say goodbye and thank the princess for everything Evie had previously done. She wanted _five more minutes_ with Evie so she knew what to do, so the daughter of the Evil Queen could give her younger sister a final piece of advice before her departure from the unforgiving world she grew up in. Mal wished for _five more minutes_ , to be able to tell Evie how much she loved and would miss her sister. Mal begged for _five more_ minutes so she could request -plead and beg and scream- for forgiveness against her copies crimes. She simply wished for  _five more minutes_. 

 _Thump_. 

Mal knew she was imagining it. No God was that cruel.

_Thump. Thump_

No amount of wishing would give her those desirable _five more minutes_.  

 _Thump. Thump. Thump_. 

It wasn't possible. She was dead. 

"Mal?" 

The voice was soft but full of fear against her ear, the familiar feeling of fingers running through her hair as the daughter of Maleficent tensed her shoulders, her hands gripping the soft material beneath her fingers tightly. _It was impossible,_ Mal thought stubbornly,  _Evie was dead. Her copy was the one who ended the princess's life_. Shaking her head quickly, large tears spilt from Mal's eyes as she gasped for air, her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she removed one of her hands from Evie's jacket and placed it above her ear, clutching her sweat-covered hair tightly as the feeling of _someone's_ fingers running through her hair vanished.  

"Please, open your eyes Dragon" The voice begged, tears spilling into her tone uncontrollably. "I'm here, I promise you" 

Against her better judgement, Mal's eyes fluttered open, blue fabric covered in a multitude of spray-painted coloured, obscuring her view along with the large tears which boarded her emerald eyes. Buring herself deeper into her best friend's chest, the hard leather clutched within Mal's hands transformed into a soft piece of spray painted material, the paint contracting harshly to the comfortable fabric now wrapped around Evie's torso. Mal's toes brushed against naked skin as she pulled them closer to her chest, stopping against the silk fabric of a pair of pyjama bottoms. 

"Hey, come on" The voice continued reassuringly, "Open your eyes a little wider for me, Mal" Never one to oppose to her sister's orders, Mal gradually opened her eyes wider, a mysterious sense of ease flooding over her as her eyes settled on the comfortable chair tucked into the corner of Evie's bedroom in the hideout. Gradually moving her head to the right, Mal's eyes glistened with tears at the familiar shade of deep blue hair which surrounded her sister's makeup-free features, the welcoming smile on Evie's lips widening as she noticed Mal's emerald green eyes staring at her anxiously. "There we go" Evie smiled widely, gently wiping away her own tears with her unused hand. "What's wrong? You have a bad dream?" Evie asked cautiously, the smile slipping from her face as Mal slowly nodded, vulnerable eyes glancing up at her older sister as Mal's eyes wandered around the princess's concerned features silently. "What was it about?" 

Tears spilt from Mal's emerald green eyes at the memory -flashes of images racing through her mind of Evie's dead body, lay motionless on the cold floor of a dark cell due to _her_ actions- and her hands tightened around Evie's pyjama top as the purple-haired teenager buried her head further into Evie's chest, the rhythmic beating of the princess's heartbeat echoing within Mal's ears. Evie's eyes widened, quickly glancing towards the figures stood worryingly at the entrance of Evie's room before her attention returned towards her sister, the violent shakes of the teenager's shoulders and the harsh sobs echoing around the room indicating Evie's worst beliefs. Something had happened to Mal and she was unable to help. 

"Boy's, leave us" Evie commanded, wrapping her arms tightly around Mal's shaking form as she pressed a gentle kiss onto the purple-haired teenagers head. When the boys made no move to leave, Evie raised her head, her gaze hardened and threatening as she lifted her eyebrow. "Now" Evie added coldly, a soft sigh leaving her lips when Mal flinched in her arms, unused to the harsh tone her older sister was using. 

"Evie-" Ben, who was stood awkwardly in the centre of the doorframe between Jay and Carlos, started softly.

"Ben, leave us. Please" Evie ordered quietly, her eyes flickering back down to Mal's shaking form as new tears dropped onto her pyjama top. "Because unless you want to come over here and take Mal from me-" At the princess's words, Mal flinched in her sister's arms, firmly gripping Evie's damp top until her knuckles turned white. Silently placing her hand upon Mal's and prying it away from her top -intertwining their fingers and pressing a quick kiss against the girl's knuckles before Mal continued to snuggle into her side, their conjoined hands now resting on top of Evie's stomach-  Evie smiled softly before looking back at the young king, whose gaze had softened as he noticed the twos joined hands. "-I suggest that you give me a moment to calm  _my sister_ down before something happens" Evie finished her threat, glaring softly at the young king while Jay and Carlos moved backwards, ready to exit the room once Ben moved from within the doorway. 

The young king had never seen Evie act so protectively. He knew that the princess loved her sister and vice versa and yet, Ben had never seen this type of affection among the teens. While it was true that Mal and Evie often held hands and cuddled one another in Auradon -Ben had grown used to the random kisses Mal and Evie would place on the others head during a movie or how Mal was more likely to curl up to her sister then she was him when she was scared- Ben had never saw Evie glare at someone so threateningly, like she was doing to him. At that moment, Ben wondered if Evie looked like that when she was on the Isle Of The Lost -deadly and poisonless, ready to kill anyone who harmed her family- and he felt truly sorry for anyone who threatened her family. 

"I just want to help-" Ben replied softly.

"You all can help by getting some blankets and a glass of water" Evie commanded, smiling in relief as Jay quickly took off to get the supplies. "Carlos get her hairbrush from her room. It's on the side, near the window" Carlos nodded before rushing off. Evie knew how a simple stroke of a hairbrush could calm Mal down, especially when Evie was the one brushing the teenager's hair. Unlike Jay and Carlos -who tried their best, they really did- Evie was soft and delicate, her hands following the gentle swishes of the brush when it parted through Mal's knotted purple hair. "Ben, in the main room at the side, is a book. It's old and blue with gold swirls. Go get it and bring it to me. Now" Evie commanded before Ben followed her instructions. 

"Now, Dragon" Evie smiled softly as she looked back down at her younger sister. Mal took in a shaking breath, the ache in her chest growing with every deflation of her lungs, and shakingly squeezed Evie's hand, biting her lip anxiously. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me now but it will help" 

"You'll hate me for it" Mal whispered, her voice hoarse and painful as she buried her head into Evie's side, gently squeezing the teenagers hand with her own. "I know you will" 

" _Ma Soeur aimante_ , I will love you no matter what, don't you ever forget it" Evie reminded her sister, softly smiling as Mal slowly raised her head to look at Evie. "I could never hate you, just please tell me what's wrong. It kills me knowing your hurt"  _Wrong choice of words_ , Evie thought as Mal's eyes began to water again, large tears racing down Mal's cheeks. Bringing up her unused hand, Evie cupped Mal's cheek and wiped away her tears, not allowing Mal to return to burying her head into her chest as that didn't allow Evie to get any answers. "Hey, hey, hey" Evie quickly added, smiling reassuringly as Mal leant into her touch. "It's okay. I'm okay, we're all okay. No need to worry. No one is going to hurt us out there" 

"What about in here?" Mal asked softly

"Sweetie, I have no idea what you're talking about?" Evie confessed, causing Mal to sigh heavily.

"What if, the person who hurts you and the team, is  _in_ the team?" Mal clarified. "What if  _they_ cause it and you don't know until it's too late and you and Jay and Carlos and Ben and everyone get hurt because I-" Mal rambled. 

"Okay, okay, okay" Evie interrupted, "Tell me what happened. Tell me why these thoughts are running through your head" 

"You died" Mal whispered, her voice strained from the amount of use. 

"I...died" Evie repeated in confusion. "Mal, I'm right here. I promise you whoever hurt me-" 

"Me" Mal interrupted, " _I_ hurt you. _I_ killed you. _I_ am the reason that you are currently looking at me like I'm a _monster_ " Ripping her hand away from Evie's, Mal swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her feet resting firmly on the ground as she stood up and quickly wiped away her tears. She knew that Evie would never look at her like she was a monster but she could shake the thought off of her. It was like she was still trapped in her nightmare, surrounded by the unrealistic and people who didn't believe in her. Despair and heartache clouded her judgement and it was like every fear she had ever had was right in front of her eyes, taunting her as she tried to see right. 

"I would never look at you as a monster-" Evie argued, reaching forward for Mal's sleeve after she got off the bed and followed Mal. 

"And yet you do" Mal countered, ripping her sleeve away from Evie's reach. "Everyone looks at me like I'm either this _breakable, vulnerable...worthless_ thing or this monster, made to destroy the world with my bare hands" Mal took a step back and raised her hands to show Evie who stayed in the same place. Unknowingly, Mal stood in the centre of the open door's view, right in Jay's, Carlos's and Ben's view as the three boys stood in the centre of the main room, identical looks of shock written on their features. "These things" Mal gestured to her hands shakingly, "They can destroy an entire world and people know it, they  _fear_ it, the same way they fear me" 

"No one fears you" Evie replied determinedly.

"You fear the evil in me. The evil inside me is what people fear and you fear it to" Mal accused her best friend, laughing incredulously. "My own sister fears me because of my power. I used to try and hide my powers -I tried so hard- but what's the point in trying when the world has already made its mind up about me and my powers. You fear me...just like everyone else in this world" 

"That's not true, Mal" Evie shook her head. "I don't fear you and your not a monster" 

"Really? How can you not?" Mal asked incredulously, "Because when I look at my hands, I look at something that can literally destroy you and my family.  Do you ever think about that? That with one wrong touch, I could kill everyone. Because I do!" Mal exclaimed, "I think about that every day. You don't know what that's like. No one knows what it's like to be able to destroy whole kingdoms!"  

"Yes, I do!" Evie screamed, angry tears burning her vision as fire ran down her arms, exploding at the tips of her fingers. Violent sparks of magic flew off of Evie's hands as her eyes widened, her breath becoming laboured as electricity and energy raced up Evie's body. The lights within the hideout flickered uncontrollably and the small plants living on top of Evie's dresser died quickly, shocking everyone but Evie within the hideout. The Princess's dark brown eyes flickered a deep red as her skin glowed, large flames of pure magic bursting from her fingertips as Evie stood frozen, staring worriedly at her hands. Running forward, the three boys gasped loudly as they saw their friend; Jay and Carlos stood beside Mal, not a bit of worry etched onto their still features, as Ben stood behind the VK's, caution and wonder swirling around in his eyes.

"Carlos, the book" Mal exclaimed, turning towards the son of Cruella DeVil. 

"Now is not the time for a history lesson!" Carlos exclaimed before Mal ripped the book out of his hands, opening it quickly to the hollow contents. Instead of long pages of elegantly written words, the book was empty and ripped out, only leaving a small compartment for a few bracelets and necklaces. Carlos instantly recognised them as Evie's jewellery, the ones she wore every day on the Isle Of The Lost, due to a large number of ruby hearts and golden crowns stuck onto the expensive metals. 

Carlos watched with raised eyebrows as Mal took one of the gold bracelets from the box -Carlos recognised it as Evie's favourite bracelet, the one she wore every day on the Isle Of The Lost- and quickly thrust the remaining contents of the book on the bed, followed immediately after by the book itself, before walking cautiously over to the princess.

Evie's eyes rose to meet Mal's, her eyes flickering a multitude of dark colours as fear took over her features. "I'm losing control" It came out no louder than a whisper but echoed around the room, quickly reaching the fellow observers as Mal smiled reassuringly and took another step forward. Evie took a step back in response, shaking her head quickly as the two large balls of fire dancing above her fingers grew. 

"Hey, I'm sorry for yelling" Mal apologised as Evie looked down at her hands, barely hearing Mal's words as the purple-haired teenager took a small step forward. "Look at me, princess. I need you to look at me" Following the youngers teenagers words, Evie raised her head away from the large blue flames flying above her painted nails and towards her best friend who was getting increasingly closer with each passing moment. "Calm down and breath" Once again, Evie listened to her sister and took in a deep breath, smiling softly as Mal's eyes shined with pride. "Perfect, now give me your wrist" 

"Mal!" Jay exclaimed, his eyes widening at the girl's words. "There is a fireball right in front of you. Be careful" 

"Jay, shut up" Mal hissed, barely turning her attention away from the princess who seemed to consider Jay's words, pulling her hand closer to her chest and further away from Mal. 

"He's right" Evie whispered, her eyes becoming blurred with unshed tears. 

"No, he's not" Mal argued softly, "You won't hurt me, okay? You know you won't and Jay knows that too. We have done this thousand's of times before and I have never gotten hurt before so please, princess, trust me and extend your arm out" Evie's eyes flickered towards Jay, the ex-thief's eyes were soft and vulnerable, staring pointedly at Evie with an apologetic smile as the princess's eyes continued to flicker colours. Slowly extending her arms, Evie watched as Mal smiled in victory and took the final step necessary to encase the bracelet around Evie's wrist -strategically bending her body to escape the hot flames of the magical fireballs. Immediately after the bracelet was clipped around Evie's wrist, the large fireballs disappeared and the princess's eyes flickered back to their original colour as Evie weakly fell to the floor, barely registering the familiar feeling of strong arms encasing her waist as her head slumped to the side and her eyes fluttered shut. 

The three boys rushed forward as Mal slowly sang to the floor, a sudden sense of Deja Vu washing over the teenager as she pulled her sister closer, smiling in relief as adorable snores filled the room. Jay kneeled beside the two girls, cautiously moving closer to the princess before he began to run his fingers through her hair, smiling softly as Evie sleepily turned to lean into his gentle touch, combined with the familiar feeling of Carlos's hand in hers. Ben was sat beside the purple-haired teenager, one of his arms wrapped around Mal's waist as she leant into his touch, resting against his back with a reminiscing smile.  

"I'm sorry for what I said" Jay apologised softly, his eyes not moving from the sleeping teenager as Mal hummed gently, her head falling back to rest against Ben's shoulders. "It was uncalled for" 

"No, you wanted to protect both of us" Mal argued with a smile, "It was heroic. No need to apologise. I said the same thing when I first saw..." Mal vaguely gestured to the sleeping teenager in her arms with a small nod, " _this_. It's scary" she admitted.

"So, what do we do now?" Carlos asked as he looked down at his sister, a concerned smile playing on his lips. "Will she... _die_?" His voice was quiet and strained, vulnerability clear in his eyes as Mal slowly turned to her youngest brother, reaching over to place her hand over his. She knew that Carlos was scared to lose Evie -all of them were, but the young boy had a special connection with Evie compared to the connection he held with the others. While he was the youngest and arguably the weakest member of the group, Evie treated him like she did everyone else. She sang him to sleep and tucked him in after nightmares, as she did to both Jay and Mal, and she helped with homework at school but she also trained with Carlos -she herself spent countless hours in the gym with Carlos in Auradon at night when the boy couldn't sleep, burning off some steam while the others slept peacefully- and made the son of Cruella braver. He needed her in his life to make him braver and stronger and better. All of them did. 

"No, of course not" Mal smiled reassuringly, gently squeezing Carlos's hand under her own. "But we do need help" 

"Who?" Jay asked.

"Uma. We need Uma's help"  


	6. "This isn't my story"

Uma didn't know quite how she expected to wake up. Being the captain of a ship, her days ordinarily began with the nosy activities of her crew as they marched outside of her cabin, fixing random parts of the docked ship as they sang merrily and basked in the early morning glow radiating through the thin clouds hovering below the barrier. On rare days, where she managed to wake up early and douche the morning chatter of her crew, Uma granted herself a few moments of tranquillity as she snuggled closer to her First Mate, gently tracing the small freckles on the pirate's muscular chest with the tip of her finger. 

Trained since birth to expect the unexpected, Uma knew better than to believe that her day would always start off at a sensible time and for an understandable reason. However, waking up way before the sun rose -only a couple of hours after the broken clock in her room chimed twelve times- and to the sound of harsh knocks echoing off of her door was certainly not how she _expected_ to wake up. Not daring to ignore it in case it was important, Uma sluggishly sat up in her bed -unwrapping Harry's arms from around her torso- and grabbed Harry's white blouse, quickly throwing it over her head and tying the string at the top, allowing the material to fall and rest at the shorter girls knees. 

Swinging the door open, Uma prepared herself to scream at whoever had dared to interrupt the best sleep she had gotten in well over six months before she raised her gaze and came face to face with a distressed son of Jafar. Streaks of rain fell from the VK's face as he stood in the doorway of Uma's room, his jacket nowhere to be seen and his hair stuck to the sides of his face as he crossed his arms over his damp chest. Wordlessly, Uma pulled the door open further and gestured with a small nod towards the warm room, smiling softly as Jay walked into the room and stood in the centre -thankfully ignoring the mess of clothing located near the bed and the half-dressed First Mate who was sleepily waking up- while she closed the door. Uma quickly rushed over to the fireplace, lighting it swiftly before placing the protective cover over it and directing Jay towards the stool in front of the heated fire. 

"Here, sit down and warm up" Uma directed quietly, a small laugh escaping her lips as she reached up and tucked a piece of the ex-thief's hair behind his ear with familiar care. Jay nodded softly, rubbing his hands together to create friction as Uma reached behind her wardrobes door and pulled out her dressing gown, pulling the blue silk over her shoulders to cover more of her skin from view. "Sorry, Jay, we weren't expecting visitors" Jay laughed softly as Harry got out of bed, quickly rushing towards the wardrobe to get changed himself with only a small nod towards Jay's direction. "Don't worry, he's tired" Uma giggled as she pulled up another stool, sitting in front of Jay as the ex-thief slowly nodded. "What's wrong, Jay?" 

"Honestly?" Uma nodded, "I don't know. One minute everything's fine -well, not _fine_. Mal was having a nightmare and Evie was crying over her father and-" 

"Wait, she mentioned her father?" Uma asked, curiosity burning behind her eyes at the information. 

"Yea, she mentioned him and I asked and she explained everything" Jay quickly informed the pirate who smiled softly and nodded for him to continue the original story. "Well anyway, Mal woke up from her nightmare and started talking about the ability to destroy kingdoms and her magic and...Evie kinda just,  _lost it_ " Jay shrugged softly, "Mal told me to get you" 

"We're comin'" Harry answered as he stepped out from behind the wardrobes door, dressed comfortably in this original pirate outfit. Long gone was the familiar red coat which Harry had inherited from his father and in its place was a sleeveless dark jacket, decorated with silver chains and small hooks. Under the dark material was a ripped grey top, coloured with dark shades of vermillion and charcoal and matched with the obsidian-coloured jeans the pirate had on, once again covered in long zippers and splatters of red. A pair of dirty boots encased the pirate's feet and Jay could tell by Uma's scratched up face that the pirate usually wasn't allowed to wear his shoes in her room. 

Deciding to ignore the mess being made in her room, Uma got up and quickly walked behind the wardrobes door to get dressed. "She okay?" Harry muttered quietly from where he sat at the edge of the bed, looking at Jay pointedly as the ex-thief bend forward and rested his elbows on his knees with a heavy sigh. He couldn't lie to Harry but he also couldn't tell him the truth. Jay didn't know if Evie was going to be alright -he knew Mal said that she wouldn't  _die_ but that didn't immediately mean that she was going to be alright- and he knew the pirate well enough to know that telling Harry that piece of information was a _terrible_ idea. Harry was extremely protective of the princess when the two groups hung out and well after the disagreement. Everyone knew it but unlike other situations, no one used it against him. 

Evie wasn't Harry's weakness; she, along with Uma and Mal, was his strength -as cliche as it was for Jay to admit it. The three girls worked tirelessly to make sure Harry controlled his temper and learnt all he could and at the forefront of that effort was Evie herself. The princess spent many days tutoring Harry on numbers and time, slowly helping the young pirate read books and learn his letters and numbers without worry, and never gave up on him, earning her a special place in his heart. Everyone on the Isle Of The Lost quickly learnt that if anyone messed with Evie, they would have both of the groups to deal with -even after the disagreement happened between Uma and Mal. 

"Jay" Harry muttered softly, knocking the boy out of his thoughts. "Is she alright?" Harry asked again.

"I don't know" Jay finally muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair. "One minute everything is fine, the next Mal's gasping for the air in a nightmare and then Evie's got fire growing out of her fingertips" Jay scoffed softly, "Since when is this our life? Magic and spells and nightmares of death and mysterious fathers...it's all too much" He added, turning her head back towards the pirate who smiled in agreement. "I don't remember caring to be this...scary" he admitted with a final shrug of his shoulders.

"I don't remember carin' before E came into ma life" Harry replied with a smile, "She had a way of lookin' at the world like it was..." Harry shrugged softly as he finished, unable to describe the beautiful was Evie looked at the world, even when the large barrier loomed over their heads. 

"Magical" Jay answered with a small smile. 

"Yea" Harry nodded, "She had such a passion an' strength" Harry complimented, "She deserves the world. Hope Bore-a-don is good enough for her" 

"If you're asking if she's happy, then she is" Jay replied, "I've never seen her smile so much. Up until today, she never once mentioned her mother. She mentioned this place a lot though" 

"Yea, she does have some happy memories" Harry replied with a smile, "Too bad she couldn't have more of this place" 

"Nah, she mentioned the Isle a bit but she mainly spoke of you, Uma and Gil. She never forgot you guys, Harry" Jay replied sincerely, "And neither did we. You helped us all when times were ruth, we only hope we can return the favour" 

"Boy's stop gossiping" Uma chided playfully as she walked out from behind the wardrobe, dressed casually with her braided hair pulled up into a heat top-bun. Black jeans encased the teenager's legs and were tucked into a pair of black, heeled boots which stopped above her ankle, showing off the thin silver chain that decorated each side of the footwear. Her sequined top was simple and sleeveless, stopping just above her jeans and cutting low at the neckline, proudly displaying her mother's golden, seashell necklace that permanently lived around the teenagers long neck. Over the top sat a light brown, sleeveless leather jacket which matched Uma's boots and had small silver chains and small buttons decorating the front of the jacket and completing the look. Uma wore no makeup -she didn't need any and it would only waste time- bar the soft pink tint she applied onto her lips. She looked perfect.

"Let's go" Uma ordered as she walked confidently towards the door, ignoring the sinking feeling in her gut as she thought about Evie. "Harry, can you go get Gil? I'll carry on with Jay" Uma explained as she opened the door, quickly turning around to see that Jay had stood up and followed her movements, standing off to the side of the door, while Harry remained seated, a contemplating look shining in his eyes. He knew what she was asking for him - _please calm down and then meet us, we don't know what we're walking into_ \- but he found himself not caring about anything but going to see Evie. She was asking him to spend away from the princess when she was hurt or  _worse_. He didn't think he could do it. "Please, go get Gil" Uma pleaded. 

"No" Harry denied, "I need to see if the princess is alright'" Harry explained quickly. 

"Trust me, my love, she will be fine" Uma ensured with a smile as Harry stood up from the bed, running his fingers through his hair tirelessly. Uma stepped forward and wrapped her hand around Harry's wrist, gently tugging the boy's hand away from his hair with a small smile. "Jay, carry on. I'll meet you at the hideout" When Jay opening his mouth to reply, Uma turned her head, glaring softly at the boy. "I know the way. I'll be right behind you" Jay slowly nodded before he left the room, jogging quickly down the plank connecting the boat and the dock. 

"Uma-" Harry started once the captain returned her attention to him. Gentle lips pressed against his own, devouring his words as Uma pressed herself against the First Mate's chest, his hand still trapped between the two bodies as they stood in a loving embrace. A soft sigh escaped the two lovers as they parted, a small smile gracing each of their features as Uma looked up at her First Mate with a loving smile. 

"Trust me" Uma whispered, "Everything will be okay but you can't go all protective pirate while over there. As hot as it is to see you like that-" Uma grinned, gently rubbing her thumb over the inside of Harry's wrist while his unused hand came to rest on the girls hip. "-In this case, it will freak people out. It's a bad time to get everyone worried over this, especially Mal. Go get Gil and then come and meet us" 

"I need to-" Harry argued softly. 

"You need to calm down. The last time you saw this happen...things didn't go right and we were all left a little shaken up. If that happens again, I need you to be on alert enough to run to Oceana like last time" Uma interrupted softly, "We can't let last time happen again. We are not losing today" Uma added determinedly. 

"Make sure she's okay?" Harry asked cautiously. 

"Harry, you forget" Uma smiled softly, "She may be your sister but she's mine too. Nothing will happen to her, I promise you, my love"

"Okay" Harry agreed quietly. 

"Okay?" Uma repeated. 

"I'll go get Gil" Uma grinned madly as she reached up, pressing a gentle kiss against the pirate's cheek before pulling away and rushing towards the door. A soft hand gripped hers and caused Uma to turn around to face the pirate. "I love you" 

Uma smiled softly and nodded, "I love you too" Uma repeated before she gently pulled her hand from Harry's grasp, rushing out of the cabin with a worried smile evident on her pursed lips.  

* * *

When Evie woke up, deep, downhearted clouds had once again settled above the ruthless streets of the island, interrupting the gorgeous rays of golden sunlight to penetrate the island's barrier and casting a foreboding shadow across the streets, showering Evie's room in a dark morning glow. The room was silent apart from the light breathing of the group of people framing Evie's bed while the princess stirred in her sleep, harsh dots of white light filling her vision as she groaned, slowly raising one of her hands to block the painful images. An incomprehensible murmur erupted around the room at Evie's action -the princess too tired and scared to reply to the soft questions of health- and the princess sighed, a heavy feeling falling upon her heart as a deep burning sensation wrapped itself around her wrist, a painful reminder of the previous events. 

Evie sighed once more before removing her hand from her face, turning her head to the side with a concerned frown. Carlos was sat beside Evie's bed -the chair Evie was previously sat on pulled from the corner and closer to the bed, supplying a comfortable seat for the son of Cruella DeVil- with his hands encased around the other, his face lowered and eyes screwed shut against them.  _He was scared_ , Evie realised. _Scared that something had happened to her_. Leant against the chair was Jay, his arms crossed against his chest and a worried expression carved into his features as he looked down at the tired princess. Besides the thief, stood the troubled son of Gaston, his shoulders fastened into place with tension and a deep frown plastered firmly on his lips. Evie sent a small smile towards her dearly missed friend, thankfulness and kindness shining in her eyes and smile. The princess didn't miss the moment when Gil's lips upturned into a soft smile. 

Evie slowly turned her head, her smile slowly fading away as she took in the other side of the room. Mal sat at the end of her bed, her hand resting gently against the tip of the princesses' shoe with a small but concerned smile playing on her lips. Beside her sat Ben, smiling sheepishly at the princess as her eyes passed him. Opposite the princess, closer to Mal and the end of the bed, stood Harry, absentmindedly playing with his hook as he twisted it against his fingers, a complex frown on his lips. Finally, Evie turned her head fully, smiling gratefully as Uma sat on the bed beside her, the daughter of Ursula's once-confident smile now gone and replaced with pressed-together lips, her eyes shining with worry. 

"Did I hurt anyone?" Evie noticed right away that her voice was hoarse and dry, cracking at the end of her sentence. The room seemed to hear her perfectly in spite of her low volume, their heads instantly snaping towards her and their smiles gone, replaced with deep frowns and confused glances with one another until the princess grew tired. "Did I  _hurt_ anyone?" She repeated, her words much stronger as she worked to sit up against the headboard, ignoring the pushed out hands of her friends as she sat up and rested her hands encased together in her lap in a regal position. 

"No" Mal answered quietly, her voice echoing loudly in the silent room. 

"Thank Zeus" Evie breathed out, her hand tightening softly against her other in short-lived relief. "What about the bracelet? Did it work?" she asked quickly. 

"It worked" Mal once again answered with a tight smile. "How does it feel?" Mal nodded towards Uma as she sea-witch reached forward, slowly taking Evie's wrist in her own with a gentle smile. Evie raised her eyebrow at Uma's actions but did not fight, slowly allowing Uma to move her wrist until it rested on the teenager's knee. Taking note of the reddened skin and tense muscles around the princess's wrist and the bracelet, Uma moved gently as she looked down at the piece of jewellery, wordlessly studying the injury. 

"Sore and tender" Evie answered simply. "It's really not that bad" Evie directed her attention to Uma, noticing the concerned shine hidden within the teenager's deep brown eyes as she took in Evie's damaged wrists. "Truly, I'm fine" 

"She's right" Uma announced after a moment of tense silence, the aforementioned teenager raising her head to look at Evie with a soft smile. "You'll be fine. Take some rest, put on some ice and don't use your wrist too much. Meaning no drawing or sketching or writing" Uma laughed softly as Evie pouted angrily. "It should be fine in three days and then you can take off the bracelet. Your magic will be back to normal and so should your wrist" Uma concluded. 

"That means...oh, Ben I'm so sorry" Evie apologised with saddened eyes, watching as the king's eyes narrowed in confusion. 

"Evie, what are you sorry for? You have done nothing to me. Something magical happened, there is no need to apologise for something you can not control" Ben quickly reassured with a charming smile. 

"No. I'm not apologising for my magic -it was not a curse I wished to have and yet I have it. I will not apologise for the unwanted sins my mother gave me- but I am apologising for all of this. If it wasn't for me, we would be home by now and everyone would be okay. It is my fault we are still here and it's my fault we need to stay longer. You're going to miss Cotillion and who knows what your parents are thinking of your whereabouts. Of me for allowing you to come with us to rescue Mal" Evie sighed, her hand coming to rest on her forehead when a soft stabbing pain erupted from her head. "Gil" Evie called out softly, "Can you get me a cup of water, please? From the kitchen?" Gil nodded with a smile before quickly leaving the room, rushing towards the staircase and into the kitchen on the floor below without another thought. Evie smiled.  _Gil was the sweetest thing._ "He's the sweetest" 

"Evie, none of this is your fault" Uma intervened, "See the marks of your wrist. Those mean that a lot of unwanted energy quickly moved to that area of the body, creating small burn patterns. That's what it was; your body, for some unknown reason, suddenly felt like it was in danger. For a normal human, the reaction would be small -adrenaline would kick in and we would put our hands up- but because you're..." she hesitantly looked up at Jay and Carlos, " _not_ human, that adrenaline was mixed with a high amount of magic. Your body can't handle that -you haven't used magic like that since you were an early teenager- and that's what caused everything. You couldn't control it -no one could at our age- so don't go blaming yourself" Uma explained with a knowing smile. "Tell me that you believe me" Uma demanded softly. 

"Uma, all of this is a little...weird, don't you think? I mean, my magic, it didn't start because I was angry or sad or anything like in the past. I felt it sure -the anger running through me, the sadness of believing my friend didn't want to talk to me about something important and even pain, like...like the pain my mother gave me- but that was it. I just felt it and I've gotten pretty dam good at stopping those emotions but my powers didn't seem to care. It was like..." Evie shrugged with an unknowing grimace. "I know this is going to sound weird and hear me out, but it felt like I was being controlled. Like I was a puppet on strings" The princess shuddered quickly, the soft feeling of Uma's hand in hers breaking her thoughts as she turned to see the sea-witch, whose eyes had filled with uncertainty and concern, matching the others. "I've never felt like that before" 

"What is this all about anyway?" Carlos interrupted, "Since when could you make fire out of your bare hands?" He asked. 

"You didn't tell them?" Evie questioned her best friend, a perfect eyebrow raised in Mal's direction when the purple-haired teenager shrugged. 

"It wasn't my place to tell" Mal replied, "If you wanted them to know, that's your decision. I can't make that for you" 

"Thanks" Evie smiled gently. 

"What's the decision to make? You kept something from us. But for how long? What's the story?" Carlos asked quickly. 

"There is no story. This isn't like any of the fairytales from Auradon, this is my life with no happy end or prince or castle of my own okay?" Evie snapped, her eyes softening slightly at Carlos's widened eyes. She didn't need to look at her other friends to know that they shared a similar expression. "I'm sorry. I've had sixteen years of being told my life is like a fairytale -by people who hardly knew what my life was like- and I'm sick of it. I'm not some mystical princess. I'm human- _ish_. Not a storybook character" she explained. 

"We're not trying to make you some storybook character. We just want to know what just happened and for how long it's been happening to you" Jay comforted with a small smile. 

"You want to know? All of it?" Evie asked with a hint of worry edged into her tone. 

"Right from the start" Carlos confirmed. Gil wordlessly re-joined the group, handing Evie a cup of cold water with a kind smile before turning and standing besides Jay. Taking a small sip of her drink, Evie smiled thankfully before placing it on the bedside table with a small sigh. "We want to know everything" 

"Okay," Evie sighed, "I suppose that from the moment I was born, I knew I was... special. My Papa confirmed it when I was very little before I can remember really. He said I had a power that was more intense and special than anyone else in the world simply because, while my magic came from someone labelled as 'evil', their heart was pure and so, my magic was mixed. I'm the first person in the history of magic to have both evil and good magic in such an even balance. It's almost fifty-fifty" Evie smiled softly, looking down at her eyes with a tentative wonder. "I valued my magic more than anything else in the world as a child. The thought that my mother was wrong always made me smile" 

"How so?" Ben questioned curiously. 

"She said I was useless and powerless and yet, my veins contained the most powerful magic in the whole world. She was wrong and she didn't even know it simply because I didn't tell her" Evie smiled victoriously, her eyes gleaming with pride. "I bested my mother at the mere age of five simply because she didn't know I had magic. Beautiful magic too" Evie continued, "It was blue and red and gold, so many colours that they naturally merged together in the air when I used my power. The gold was my favourite" 

"Of course it was" Mal smirked, "It matched your dresses and tiara" She continued with a tantalising smile. 

"Not only that" Evie dismissed with a shake of her head, "The gold originated from my mother. She didn't have magic as people believe but she is still part of me, her blood makes up my blood -though I will always hate it. I know she was terrible and abusive and deserved nothing more than the dirt on the street for the way she treated me-" Jay smiled triumphantly upon hearing Evie's words. True, Ben's eyes still winded comically at the implication -though they did settle when remembering what the older generation on the island did to the younger population- but Jay didn't care; Evie realised that her mother was a terrible person and that was a step,  _a leap_ , in the right direction as far as Jay was concerned. "-but it is the only beautiful thing she gave me that didn't come with a return-by label or a promise of pain. Unknowingly, she gave me something to love" 

"You have us" Carlos interrupted with a caring smile, "And we will love you until you don't need our love anymore" he promised. 

"I will always need your love. You are my family" Evie corrected with a loving smile. "All of you" She noted, turning her gaze towards the three pirates in the room. "You helped me when no one else could or when I didn't want anyone else. I wish I knew how to thank you all" Gil smiled with pride at the implication while Uma breathed in a sigh of relief, matching Harry's. The captain tried not to show it but she was terrified that the months and years apart had separated the bond she once had with the whole group. She knew Harry felt the same way. It was comforting to know that Uma still had her sister by her side -despite the long distance which would once again overtake them when Evie returned to the kingdom across the sea. "And Ben, we may not have known each other for a while" Evie titled her head to look at the young king, a thankful smile on her lips. "But you have protected my sister when I could not and gave us all a new start in life, allowing us to pick and choose what we brought from the Isle to Auradon and what painful memories we kept behind. I couldn't be more grateful" 

"It's nothing, Evie-" Ben began

"E" She interrupted with a smile. "My family call me E. I think we're past using full names right?" She smiled, her pearly white teeth shining in the dim light of the bedroom. 

"It may take me some getting used to" Ben admitted, "But thanks. I'll get there...E?" He guessed with an unsure smile, relaxing quickly when Mal's melodious laughter flittered through the room. He didn't understand how much he loved that laugh until he finally heard it after hours of stillness from the teenager. He quickly committed it to memory but suspected that nothing would be as good as the real thing. 

"It's not a question, it's a statement" Mal reminded the blushing king. "E's nickname relates to the trust we have in one another. We all worked hard for our names -for the right to be linked to our parents- so to shorten it, takes great pride and confidence. To know that that person trusts you enough to strip away every part of themselves and not hide away is an immense privilege" Mal explained with a large smile. "It may be small to Auradon kids but it's massive for us. All of us have nicknames based on past events and some, are cherished forever" 

"So it unites you?" Ben questioned. 

"It does more than that" Uma interrupted, "In times of panic or sadness, those names were the only thing to stop us from worrying. They reminded us that our parents weren't there at that moment. Those nicknames casually remind us that we are a family, one that isn't bonded by blood but by emotions and memories instead. That type of family is the rarest but most beautiful form of love there is. Do not hesitate when saying these names; they mean love and beauty and faith and hope and for an Isle kid, those are the most important things to convey to someone you love" Uma smiled simply, "It's means something, Ben. More then you will ever know" 

"Then thank you" Ben thanked with a charming smile. "Thank you for telling me" Ben praised both Uma and Mal, taking account of the pleased smiles in received in return before turning back to Evie. "And thank you for trusting me enough with all of this"

"'All of this' is my legacy" Evie sighed, "One established on anxiety and sorrow, true, but also love and trust. These guys got me through the first parts of my life, maybe you can help with the next" Evie shrugged with a humble smile. 

"If I'm in your legacy, then I want to know the beginning" Ben decided, "What happened with your powers?" 

"Everything went great until I was ten. For ten blissful, beautiful years I had pure power running through my veins -untouched by any of my mother's wickedness- and yet she destroyed it" Evie's voice lowered massively as she bowed her head, small, unmistakable tears filling the corners of her dark brown eyes. "She destroys everything beautiful but I thought..." A quiet sniffle broke through the room, "I thought I was strong enough to stop her breaking me" Uma reached forward and took Evie's hand in her own, a small smile plastered onto her lips as small tears shined in her eyes. Interlocking their fingers, Uma traced her thumb over the princess's knuckles with a familiar gentleness. " _Thank you_ " Evie mouthed, tightly gripping onto Uma's hand. 

"You're okay" Uma whispered reassuringly, "We got ya'"

"My mother didn't know I had magic. It was my own pretty little secret. When she started thinking that I would never get magic, she used these...remedies to try and make magic herself. She said that it was for _my_ benefit, that no prince would want a girl who looked like me so I would have to charm him to like me. It was a safety precaution if anything. I would find a prince and then marry him, disposing of him after a short while -when my mother got bored- and taking his land for myself, moving on to the next one." Evie explained in a quiet tone, her hushed voice bouncing off of the walls like sonic booms in the incredulous boy's ears. They couldn't believe that the Evil Queen had concocted such a terrible and painful plan for her daughter to follow through without any worry for Evie's emotional health. They knew she was cruel and ruthless but Evie  _never_ mentioned that plan. "She said I wasn't destined for love and should get the idea out of my head" 

Evie lowered her gaze down to her lap, ignoring the concerned looks of her friends as she continued. "I had developed an immunity to the poisons but the remedies changed so often that I couldn't quiet...one almost killed me. Uma found me and helped me, calling for her sister the moment she knew what had happened. By the time Uma's sister arrived, it was...it was too late" Evie cried, large tears finally spilling from her chocolate brown eyes as her bottom lip quivered violently. Wasting no time at all, Uma quickly pulled the princess against her chest, sending Mal a concerned glance before placing her chin on top of Evie's head, wrapping her arms around Evie's shaking form as the princess clung desperately to Uma's arms. Mal fought to stay still -she realised that Uma needed to hold her sister, to remember the way she perfectly slotted together, just as much as Evie needed to be held by the women she hadn't seen in far too long- and discreetly wiped her own eyes, a small but thankful smile playing on her lips as Ben carefully placed his hand in hers. 

With a soft sigh, Mal intertwined her fingers with Ben's, relishing in the comfortable presence the young king had beside her with a small sigh. She always knew that no matter what, she could rely on Ben to help her and moments like these just confirmed it. "Do you want me to continue?" Uma questioned softly, her lips gently brushing against the crown of Evie's head as she planted a caring kiss on top of her sisters head. She knew what it meant - _take your time, cry all you want, we got you_ \- and yet Evie couldn't do anything but nod, nuzzling closer to Uma with a shaky breath as silent tears ran down her face. Uma didn't move, barely pulling her head away from Evie before a loud whimper caused her to stop, her chin resting just above the princess's hair. "I won't leave you, princess. I promise" Evie only nodded. 

"Uma?" Carlos questioned with the pirate, his eyes filled with concern and sadness as he took in his sisters crying form. He had never seen her look so... _broken_ before. Even in times of terror and woes, Evie always held herself with a sense of decorum and regalness which could not be bested by anyone, and, if she ever did break which was expected on such a terrible place as the island was, she hid it well. No one saw Evie as anything less than perfect. Until now. 

"It messed her up. The potion I mean" Uma clarified, her tone tiny and sad as she gently played with the bottom of Evie's soft blue hair with a confused sigh. "I still don't know what happened and even if I did, I couldn't explain it. This... _thing_ that the Evil Queen gave her-" Uma spat out, venom and hatred lacing her every word as she thought of Evie's mother -of the menacing smile which formed on her lips on the rare occasions Uma had to meet the queen. "-it ultimately changed her. It rewrote her magic, mutating them until the good magic was separated with the evil part until the evil part grew stronger. Essentially she genetically became evil" 

"But we can stop that right?" Carlos questioned, his head adorably titled to the side to convey his worry. "All you need to do is...get rid of the evil part right?" 

"It's not that easy, Carlos" Mal sighed, her eyes shining with an unwanted yet knowing glint as she turned to the daughter of Ursula. "Getting rid of destructive magic is bad enough when it's part of genuine magic -it takes more energy then some magical beings hold and has disastrous hazards and consequences- and getting rid of magic that isn't part of good magic...that's even worse. They have nothing to stabilise them...the person would die before they ever got the chance to get rid of the bad magic" Mal explained, her worried eyes moving down towards Evie, watching with heartbroken eyes as the princess continued to cry silently into Uma's chest, hands desperately clinging onto the teenagers secure arms. 

"Oceana did some magic but with the barrier in place, it took longer than normal. Evie's father pulled some strings and got some supplies from Auradon" No one missed the soft look of gratitude in Uma's eyes as she momentarily glanced up at the young king in front of her with a shy smile. As quick as it appeared, Uma's eyes promptly hardened and lowered again, relaxing only when they landed on Evie's shaking form, the foreign feeling of large tears falling on Uma's t-shirt reminding the teenager of the emotional state her best friend was in. 

"So, everything turned out okay?" Ben guessed with a small, unsure grimace. 

"No" Uma sighed with a shake of her head, "They kinda worked -Evie didn't die- but she changed. Her magic split fully and she became two people instead of one. One side was good and pure-hearted but the other was...I don't know. Evie didn't have enough evil magic cells to create a full human -even though they were powerful- so in the end, this new person was missing a lot of things. She looked like Evie, talked like Evie, hell, she even smelled like Evie. But she didn't remember a lot -she didn't remember anything basically" Uma shrugged softly. 

"Anything?" Mal asked, "Even us?" 

"She said she had these memories -thoughts- about people with our names but never saw their faces" Uma explained, "She remembered weird things that almost had no correlation. She remembered a makeup route -full glam that must have taken years to master- and some books and some beautiful words in Spanish but apart from that, she remembered very little. It was good having Oceana around, this new girl could be talking amazing English and suddenly, switch to Spanish without even knowing" Uma explained, her eyes filling with wonder and astonishment as she remembered the new girl she met years ago. 

"But those aren't things that have no correlation" Mal interrupted, "Magic, books, language, makeup. Those are Evie's favourite things. That's the correlation. She's E, just missing a few parts" 

"Exactly. A couple of days later, E woke up. Real E." Uma continued, "She remembered some of what happened with this new girl but not the whole thing. It was like this new girl decided when Evie would know things. When she did something right -when she remembered something or didn't flinch- Evie knew because this new girl allowed her too but when she did something wrong, Evie said that she just remembered her thoughts. Thoughts of regret and worry and a small part of her wanted to help this new girl" Uma explained. 

"So what happened today? If you're sayin' what I think you're sayin', then this new girl has been part of Evie since we were little. That means she was there through everything" Mal smiled, turning towards the rest of the room. "Through Auradon, through the coronation, through _everything_ " Mal sighed, "And we didn't even know. Nobody thought something" 

"I didn't want you to know" Evie whispered softly, small tears still visible on her rosy cheeks and in her darkened eyes as a weak grimace replaced her tearful frown. Gently sitting up in Uma's arms, slower than normal due to the exhaustion overtaking her bones, Evie wiped her eyes for a final time before leaning against the other teenager and turning to face her purple-haired sister. "I didn't want anyone knowing. I asked everyone not to say anything for me" Evie explained. 

"But why? You have this gift, Evie" Ben complimented. "You are literally the impossible...who knows the type of power you have?" 

"I didn't - _don't_ \- want to know what power I have" Evie replied sternly, "If I lose control -Zeus forbid- but if I do, who knows how many people I could hurt or worse. I don't know about you, but I don't want to know how many people -how many friends- I could  _kill_ if I ever lost control and frankly, I didn't want you guys to know what I can do. I didn't want you guys to look at me like I was a monster" Evie explained, "And Ben" She addressed her words fully towards the young king. "You're parents would have never allowed me into Auradon if they knew about my power. They would have shipped me right back when they knew, everyone would" 

"Evie-" The princess quickly cut off the king. 

"I know they're good people, Ben, trust me. Your parents have helped us out more than once and saved my life when I was young but...you don't know the strength a scared parent holds in their hands when their child is in danger" Evie interrupted, "I would have been shipped back and I would have been thankful to leave the moment I hurt someone. This voice in my head is great and she's like a built-in-best-friend whenever I need her, but when she's scared -scared for _my_ safety- it takes way too much energy to stop her breaking out and one day, someone is going to hurt me at the wrong time and I won't be able to stop her and I can't be held responsible for what she does but...but I will still feel guilty" Evie continued, "I couldn't let that happen so I didn't tell anyone and just...hoped" 

"Well, actually I didn't just hope, I waited" Evie resumed, "I know it sounds bad -this new girl was giggles and bubbles when she's happy and a small toddler when she wasn't, far too innocent to be the half of a VK- but I waited for the day I would wake up and hear screams. I waited for the day she snapped at someone. I waited to wake up and remember the agonising screams of my family, the unanswered pleas of help from innocent victims and the look of utter pain in their eyes when they realised who was hurting them. Whose face was the going to be the last one they ever saw" Evie concluded.  

"You would never do that" Uma countered firmly, "You -or anyone else- could never hurt any of us. Please get that fear out of your head" 

"Uma's right, E" Mal agreed, "You could never hurt anyone. And if we all have to train together to better handle this power, then we will" Mal decided with a reassuring smile. 

"I'm not sure..." Evie replied undecidedly, looking down at the red patch of skin surrounding her bracelet. "It's not that easy" 

"Then we make it that easy" Jay interrupted, "You're our sister. You are the only one who helped all of us when we got in trouble" Pushing off against the wall, Jay stood beside the bed, his eyes fluttering around the room. "I mean, when Carlos was scared of dogs, you held Dude for an hour until he finally got the courage to hold the dog after Ben left, completely ignoring the fact that _you_ were also scared of dogs. When I needed help becoming faster for Tourney, you stayed up all night to work on algorithms for me so I didn't have to do the additional training I didn't have time for, ignoring the fact that _you_ had a test the next day that you then had to reschedule. When Mal needed help with her lessons, you worked for an entire weekend to customise her lessons for her so she understood it, forgetting the fact that _you_ didn't know the material and had to learn it as you went, not going to sleep in the prosses" Evie smiled softly as she raised her gaze, meeting the ex-thief's eyes with slight hesitation.  

"And it's not just us" Jay continued, "When Ben needed help with his royal duties, you stayed with him all night until he got his work done for the next day, ignoring the amount of work _you_ had to do the rest of the week. When Gil's birthday came around and his father didn't get him anything, you literally moved onto Uma's ship for a week to read him stories and gave him a gift every day until he smiled, ignoring the punishment _you_ would receive for disregarding your mother. When Harry broke his father's jacket in a fight, you stitched it up for him and made him a new one within a day, forgetting that _you_ wanted to use that shade of red for a dress you really wanted to make because your own birthday was coming up. And when Uma was so tired -after a shift- that she literally, fall asleep at her desk, you didn't wake her but instead took over her shift the next day so she could continue to sleep, never complaining once when _you_ came here and had bruises littering your skin from that dreadful mother of yours" Jay listed, "Not once did you complain so if you want me to believe that the girl I grew up with could be a _killer_ , then you are going to have to show me a lot more evidence for the thought to even cross my mind" 

"It's harder than that, Jay" Evie sighed, "I may have been helpful at some point but that didn't involve her. Back then, she was just a small whisper in the back of my head" Evie sighed softly. 

"That may be true" Jay agreed, "But I refuse to abandon my sister just because she  _may_ have an evil side" The teenager decided quickly, "So we are all going home, sitting down and talking about this until we all have a clear plan of how to help you. Like I said earlier, you helped us way too many times, it's time we all repay the favour"

"All of us?" Evie questioned, her arms momentarily tightening around Uma's as the teenagers looked at the princess's questioningly, confusion sparkling in every eye. "I can't do this alone, Jay, but I also can't do this with only half my family. I did it for six months, please don't make me do it again" Mal wordlessly reached forward -her hand still clasped with Ben's in a reassuringly tight grip- and placed her hand on Evie's, which rested against Uma's lower arm, smiling at the princess and captain softly. "You can fix this right? Over there?" Evie asked quietly, her thumb quickly hooking over Mal's fingers with a worried grimace. 

"Together, we can try" Mal confirmed with a small smile, tilting her head to the side in order to see Evie, due to the awkward angle that the princess was resting in, her blue locks of hair framing her face like a beautiful halo against Uma's shoulder. "I don't know what to do, and that scares me, but we can figure it out. Together" She didn't know how -that plan was still trying to form in her mind and she was sure that Uma could later help with the details- but she  _was_ going to make sure that Evie was okay again. She wanted to make sure that her sister was safe and no longer feared to turn into some sort of monster. Because the princess was not a monster, in any form of the word. 

"Earlier, I knew that she didn't want to escape" Evie explained, "She was happy to just watch everything but something happened. My emotions were in check, I was fine but then my emotions rose a little -I don't know why- and she just came out. She didn't want to" Evie continued, "Are you sure you can stop something like that? Because if not, I'm stayin'-" 

"Don't finish that sentence" Mal growled lowly, her hand momentarily tightening on Evie's. "You are not staying here. No one is" Mal decided. 

"What's she like?" Harry asked from beside the bed, a teasing smile on his lips. "We can all talk about leavin' another time but now, I want to hear about this new lass" Evie knew what the pirate was doing -she knew he could see dark circles of exhaustion beneath her eyes and the heaviness in her position- and she silently thanked him for the sudden change in topic. She was far too tired to talk about such complicated things as having three teenagers suddenly leave their homes and families, with little more than a moments notice.

"She looks like me" Evie explained, "She has my features and everything but her eyes are red with little gold sparks in them. She had red hair too, like fire and her magic...mine is simple but hers had red and golds in it like a desert" Evie continued to explain with a smile. She knew what he was doing -talking about fashion and beauty always put a smile onto the princess's lips and Harry loved hearing her take passionately about anything which allowed him the privilege of seeing her smile- but she found that she didn't care. She needed a distraction. "Some times we would joke around about the pranks we could pull together if only we had the same hair colour. She some times used to joke when I was angry about something, saying that it was  _her_ job to get angry and that I shouldn't waste my breath on negative emotions" Evie giggled, the sound echoing throughout the room. 

"Then she's just as intelligent as you are" Uma complimented with a small smile. "But now, you are too tired to be worrying about everything happening now. So let's get you back to sleep" Uma ordered softly, slowly twisting her body to the side so Evie could comfortably lie back down, her eyes already half closed. 

"But I don't want to" Evie grumbled childishly, a small pout making its way to the princess's lips as Uma grabbed the bunched-up blankets which currently rested in Evie's lap. Ignoring the pout, Uma pulled up the blankets and moved them up to Evie's shoulders, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she leaned back in her spot on the bed. 

"Get some sleep. We're in the main room if you need us" Uma decided, sharing a momentary glance towards the boys on the other side of the room as they left, bidding Evie a quick 'goodnight' as they passed her, leaving only the three girls sat on the bed. "Call us if you need us" Uma added.

"Can you just..."Evie hesitated for a moment, her voice sleepy and low. "Promise me, you will think about coming with us" Evie finished.

"I'll think about it" Uma decided after a moment's hesitation. "But you do need to rest. This whole thing is a little too much for you -on top of the magic thing- so don't start worrying about things just yet" The teenager continued with a small smile. "We're just outside" 

"Okay," Evie sighed softly, her eyes fluttering closed. "I love you guys" 

"We love you too" Evie smiled slowly before turning around in her bed, her legs automatically rising to relax against her chest as she curled into her self. Uma smiled at the other teenager before nodding her head to the door, wordlessly directing the purple-haired teenager towards the door as she turned off the bedside lamps, quickly joining Mal in the doorway. The boys, sensing the impending private conversation, moved to Jay's room, their own door only slightly open compared to Evie's. "You think she'll be okay?" Mal wondered quietly, watching as Evie's chest rhythmically rose and fall with each deep breath the teenager took.   

"I think it will take some time but...she'll be fine" Uma replied with a heavy sigh, "When you guys go back, getting her some real help may finally put an end to all that trauma from years ago. The poor girl's been through enough" 

"Was it that bad?" Mal questioned. 

"Whatever you're thinking, multiply that by ten and there is your answer" Uma explained, "She looked so lost...I didn't like seeing that look in her eyes" Uma continued, "She changed that night, I'm sure of it, but she never quite changed back. I just want her happy and Auradon will do that" 

"No" Mal denied, "I think that we make her better. _No matter the beautiful place, a broken soul cannot be fixed without beautiful people helping her_ ; that's what Evie used to say and I think she's right." Mal continued, "It would be great for her if you came with us. To Auradon. She would appreciate it and so would myself and the boys. We missed having the whole group around, it's been years. I think that if it's bad, she may enjoy her  _sister_ around her" Mal hinted. 

"She has a sister" Uma argued gently, "You would take care of her just fine" 

"I'm not sure about that" Mal grumbled, "If it wasn't for this, who knows how long she would have waited until she told me" She sighed, "I know I sound...bitter but she is my sister and I care about her, especially if something has been troubling her for Zeus knows how long. Having you with us can help fill out the gaps...and maybe stop me pulling out my hair when I think about the past years, how I didn't see anything wrong" 

"I know the feeling" Mal glanced towards the daughter of Ursula, confusion sparkling in her eyes as Uma sighed, crossing her arms protectively over her chest while leaning against the wooden beams of the doorframe. "When we stopped talking as kids, it killed me not knowing if something had happened to you guys. If something happened, we were an hour away by the time you stopped freaking out, sent a letter and gave me time to arrive. It didn't help that we were both too stubborn to write and apologise. We were both in the wrong" Uma clarified. 

"I'm sorry" Mal apologised, "I didn't know what I was thinking. I thought that us being friends was dangerous for you, so I tried to make you hate me. You never did" Mal added kindly. 

"What about the others? Evie, Jay and Carlos weren't in danger too?" Uma questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

"I tried to push them away, just like I did you. I did some pretty terrible things -things I'm not proud of- but they refused so I put all my energy in trying to neutralise the threat. By the time I did, I was fifteen and you hated me" Mal sighed softly, her smile struck from her face with sadness. "By the time I got over my pride, I was leaving. I didn't know what else to do" 

"Thank you" Uma thanked quietly, "For explaining" She clarified, "I may not understand it now or know the threat that you faced but it makes it better somehow. Knowing that I didn't do anything wrong" 

"I want to repay you for those years of pain" Mal decided as she turned around, her back now resting against the wooden frame as she looked across at the old friend. "I want you to come with us. Back over there" Uma raised an eyebrow at the other teenager's words as she continued to look further into the room, a reassuring smile coming across her lips as Evie's hand momentarily tightened on the silk pillows her head rested on. "It may not be home but it has warm food and nice beds, no evil parents and the view isn't half bad" Mal continued with a teasing smile, "The school's in front of the sea, you could go swimming all the time in the sea or in the lake closer to the school" 

"That's the problem" Uma replied, "While I swim and eat and dream, all I would be thinking about is my _family_ , Mal. I'm stuck between multiple jobs -the job of an older sister is to stay so I would be failing Pearl, the job of a younger sister is to make Oceana's life easier so I would be failing her, the job of a friend is to protect them so I would be failing all of you if I stayed and yet, I would also fail the job of being a strong girlfriend if I stayed undecided and let Harry choose for me- and I wish to do them all to the best of my abilities. And then there are my roles as a princess and captain" Uma protested, "It's too complicated for me to simply put it down to whether or not I would enjoy the food and beds over there" 

"Just...promise to talk to Oceana" Mal begged.

"And say what?" Uma questioned, tilting her head to the side as she looked at Mal, "That I am thinking of abandoning my queen? Believing it or not, it's different for me. I'm not the queen, my  _sister_ is so she decides what happens and leaving is treason for me without permission and I'm not asking for permission. I would not only be abandoning my family but also my queen and therefore kingdom. With you, everyone was safe because you were also leaving. I don't have the luxury because only a select few get chosen"

"That's not true-" Mal argued before Uma reached forward, quickly pulling the door closed and forcing herself and Mal out of the doorframe. She didn't want to wake Evie up. 

"It is true" Uma countered quickly, "It is because I can't leave my family alone on this island while I live like a princess in a kingdom that hated us all, six months ago. It's not right and I don't want that to happen to my family. I have a queen to obey -regardless of her being my sister- and a crew who relies on me. I can't just leave my whole family on this island. I can't do that to them, Mal. Not only is it treason but also against the very things I stand for. I _won't_ do it" 

"What? Oceana will understand-" Mal reassured. 

"I don't care if she understands or not, it's about loyalty" Uma argued, "My family is not being ripped apart between two completely different countries. It's not what I want" Uma admitted with a sigh, "and in an ideal world, we wouldn't have been on this island, to begin with, but it's not an ideal world and we are here. Zeus forbids it but if something happened to Pearl and I wasn't here...I would never forgive myself. I can't even let that be a possibility, Mal" Uma continued, "You could never leave Evie like that and I can't leave Pearl and Oceana" 

"I wouldn't leave any of you like that" Mal promised as she took a step forward, extending her hands out in front of her. Uma sighed with a humble smile, gently taking Mal's hands in hers with a short laugh, tilting her head to the side with a delightful smile.  "I can talk to Ben, ask him to invite Oceana and Pearl along with you. I can even ask about Harry and Gil's siblings. Just give me some time" Mal pleaded softly, affectionately running her thumb over Uma's constantly bruised knuckles. Mal wished -begged all the God's above- that she didn't have to see her friends blooded and bruised, especially when she wasn't around to prevent it, and yet Uma was still forced to fight for her life and the lives of her family every day. As childish as it sounded, Mal wished to wrap all her family in a protective layer of bubble wrap and shield them from the rest of the world yet she knew that she couldn't do that. As much as it pained her, she knew that her friends had to grow up and face their battles themselves. 

"You don't have time" Uma disagreed with a small shake of her head, her momentary anger displaced into utter sadness and despair at the idea of losing her family again. "You have to leave by tomorrow afternoon. Evie's body may not be able to handle the sudden decrease in magic, she could get worse before she gets better. Ben's parents must be worried sick as well. Go take that king back to his family, Mal. We're fine right here" Uma was lying -the Isle of The Lost had only gotten worse when Mal left- but she needed to be strong; she needed to make sure that Mal left with her friends to continue her best life in Auradon. 

"But you're not" Mal pouted, "Please Uma...I want to help you guys. Please let me" Mal pleaded. 

"Talking to this king will make you feel better?" Uma raised her eyebrow questioningly when Mal nodded eagerly, a child-like smile curving into her lips. "Then...if you wish to ask him then do it. Just know that I make no promises and I will still talk to Oceana. I'm still undecided but the boys can go with you if Ben says so" Mal frowned at that -it was highly unlike that the three pirates were ever separated from each other, even when they were friends with the four VK's- but nonetheless agreed, knowing that getting the two pirates on board was the first step in getting Uma to join them to Auradon. 

"Okay" Mal replied simply, gently squeezing Uma's hand in hers. In the opposite room, Evie's eyes fluttered open, a pleased smile on her lips as she snuggled back into her pillow with a contented sigh. 


	7. "I love you too"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in writing. It took forever to finish writing this because I wanted to properly dive into what Mal was feeling and how Ben would react as not only a king but also a teenager and boyfriend, along with my personal life practically exploding in the centre of all this.   
> I also feel like I've kinda been ignoring some of the other characters like Jay and Carlos and Gil -and Dizzy, who will either be in the next chapter or one after that- so I'll have the next couple of chapters dedicated to one of those characters...I'm thinking it will be Carlos.   
> I want to also write a lot more Jay/Gil scenes because I loved them in Descendants 3 (they were adorable but in this, I already have plans about who they will date so I sadly can't put them together) so that will be coming up along with more character development within Evie and Carlos's friendship along with Carlos as a whole.   
> Finally, I would just like to write that although I am late in putting this, Cameron Boyce was one of the best actors and people this generation has ever seen and will be incredibly missed. I've had the absolute privilege of growing up watching him on screen -from movies like Grown Up's 1 & 2 which made me laugh so much to shows like Jessie which made me burst into song whenever the theme song played- and to know that he will no longer be able to shine his light again brings me great pain.   
> Thankfully, his castmates are working tirelessly to make sure that he continues on in the memory of all the hard work his charity, The Cameron Boyce Foundation, will do to help end gun violence, produce clean water and spread kindness throughout the world among other great things. Please donate to the cause as much as you can -it is an amazing thing and perfectly sums up everything Cameron worked for in his life- and spread the word. Thank you :) 
> 
> "We all go...what you leave should be bigger than you." -Cameron Boyce, 2018.

As the sky darkened with the passing hours of the night, the stars no longer able to hold the powerful glow they once did, Mal rested within her room beside Evie's, absentmindedly drawing in her sketchbook. Relaxing in the knowledge that Uma was staying with Evie to look after the princess while she slept and that the two other pirates were resting on the couch in the main room -the group of pirates refused to leave the hideout in case anything happened, allowing the two groups additional time to reconnect- Mal sighed as she rested on her bed, her feet kicked up into the air as she rested on her stomach. The bed -missing its structure and resting only on a stack of small draws- was pushed into the corner of the room, higher than anything else and enclosed by translucent pieces of shaded purple fabric which draped from the ceiling, concealing the bed from the rest of the room. Opposite the bed, matching the dark wooden flooring, was a generous wardrobe that housed all of Mal's clothes, that were hung neatly against a metal bar and once again concealed by pieces of hung fabric due to the lack of doors. A large window rested within the back wall -against the bed and wardrobe- and stood above a spray-painted desk covered with books and sketches, the window itself encircled by the loose pictures the teenager had drawn during her time on the island and wished to showcase. On the final wall and beside the door which was pushed into the corner, was a large map of the island, surrounded by beautiful blue water -the beginnings of Auradon only barely seen at the edge of the wall- and decorated with sensational detail. The bird's eye view of the prison supplied a stunning view, the towers of the few castles which remained, glittering among the low, common and darkened houses which filled the remaining space and boarded the filled alleyways and marketplaces. 

Basking in the comfortable silence of the room and concentrating heavily on her current drawing, Mal almost missed the faint knock and groan of the door as someone slowly opened it, stopping - _hesitating_ \- in the doorway as Mal put down her sketchbook and turned in her position on the bed. Her smile lessened but didn't disappear as she sat up, leaning against one of her arms as she gazed up at the young king stood in her doorway, dressed simply in a pair of spray-painted pyjama bottoms and a ripped top -obviously belonging to Jay- which innocently showed off Ben's sharp muscles from under the slim rips in the shirt. "Hey" Mal smiled, motioning with an inadequate inclination to space beside her on the bed. "Sit down" She requested politely, smirking softly when the young king closed the door and moved forward, sitting beside the teenager with a modest smile, his eyes fluttering down to the exposed sketchbook between them. "I was just drawing" 

"Yea, it's beautiful" Ben complimented sweetly, looking down at the magnificent drawing etched onto the page. The picture was simple, nothing like the giant works of art Mal created in Auradon with vibrant colours and perfect lines of symmetry, and had no colour, allowing the faint scratches of the pencil to speak for itself. The drawing was of Auradon Prep and large banners and departed crowds surrounded the front lawn, stood in front of the limo and four teenagers, none of which had extremely great detail in comparison to the building. In front of the four teenagers were three others, their faces blank and unfinished but their clothes tidy and clean, coloured only by faint, light lines which surrounded them -as if their simple presence disallowed any darkness to enter the drawing, the four teenagers themselves made of faint lines while the limo at the edge of the paper was darker and more defined. 

"It's supposed to be the day we arrived, I'm not sure if it fits" Mal revealed as she stared down at the picture. "I think it needs some colour" 

"I like it as that" Ben contended kindly. "It shows what you first thought about Auradon. These three unknown people walk up to you and your friends and suddenly everything gets a bit brighter -it must have been scary" Ben guessed with a small shrug. "Everyone looking at you, waiting for someone to curse someone or something evil to happen. People had expectations of you four even before you stepped out that limo; this depicts that" The young king continued, nodding slowly towards the drawing as his eyes remained locked onto the drawing, ignoring the burning sensation at the top of his head as Mal looked up at him. "You weren't used to the colour so getting rid of it all...it makes it easier to look at and appreciate." Slowly lifting his head, Ben locked eyes with Mal's emerald green iris, noticing the burning curiosity hidden behind the colour. "I like it as that" He repeated kindly. 

"That's one way to put it, I guess" Mal smiled, her cheeks tinted with a natural blush as she reached up, running her fingers through her hair as it fell in front of her face, covering the large dimples sat beside her smile. "Those three people" Mal nodded towards the drawing, pointing to brief drawing of the three others stood in front of the teenagers. "I don't know what to do about them. I like that you can't see them properly, it reminds me of that day but...isn't that an injustice?" Mal shrugged

"How so?" Ben questioned curiosity surrounding his words. 

"Well, I know you three now" Mal shrugged. "I'm dating you, friends with Audrey and talk to Fairy Godmother at least four times a week during lessons. It's an injustice for all of you, to act like I don't know you at all" She explained, "To act like your strangers to me and my friends, someone to fear and take out my anger on... It's not right" 

"Sometimes right and wrong are so closely intertwined that we mistake one for the other" Ben replied, "Some of the greatest pieces of artwork ever made were made from the artists envisioning the past. It leads to confusion and suspense; looking at the picture, without knowing what happens next, I worry about whether or not those people stayed strangers or grew closer" He continued knowingly, turning his head back down to look at the drawing. "That light surrounding them, it gives a sense of hope in a world where hope is scarce. Not knowing who those people are, I worry about whether the hope they give is good or fake and, therefore, the type of influence they have over the teenagers in front of them. That gives this power; a power no amount of detail or colour could ever supply" 

"But isn't it better to know?" Mal questioned, "To know that these teenagers were happy and had a good life. To know that these other people wished them no harm must be a comfort for the person looking at the drawing. Isn't it better to believe that everyone is good?" Mal argued. 

"Not necessarily" Ben shrugged, "Beliving such a thing can only result in pain. No one is completely good, the same way no one is fully evil. It may be reassuring for the viewer to believe that these teenagers are in good hands but, I don't believe that you want them to be reassured. I believe that you think that if you show them to be kind and benevolent people in the drawing, they will be in real life" He continued with a shrug. 

"But you are" Mal sighed, "All of you were kind and benevolent. True, it took Audrey a couple of minutes to like us all and Chad still has his worries about Jay overtaking him in sports but you didn't throw us out of the kingdom when my mother attacked. You stayed and all of you -Chad and Audrey included- listened to why my mother treated all of us the way she did" The purple-haired teenager explained. "You withheld judgement. Surely that makes you worthy enough of detail in a teenagers drawing" 

"It's not about being worthy" Ben explained. "It's about whether or not these people are good. You can be worthy and still evil. The idea that you don't know about those three, makes this picture more than 'a teenager's drawing' and into a masterpiece" He smiled kindly, looking back up at the teenager. 

"It's not a masterpiece" Mal denied. "It's just a drawing"

"No" Ben denied, "It is a masterpiece" He confirmed with a smile, "I have spent my entire life living in a castle with the best portraits money can buy hanging on the walls, collecting bust. Where every wall was covered with some painting by someone old whose name I can't pronounce" Mal giggled softly at the young king's words, "Those paintings are worth thousands, even billions, and yet none of them stand out as much as this one does. Those paintings in the castle...they tell a story of someone who painted for money -regardless of whether or not they loved it, it didn't show- but you paint because it calms you and that is what makes this a masterpiece" 

"Even if that is so, I would hardly call this a masterpiece" Mal argued. "I've been to your castle, Ben, I've seen the paintings you're referring to. They all say something, something so important that someone thought that paying millions was worth it. They were beautiful -turning even the ugliest of souls into works of art with a simple brush of paint- and maybe, some people can't see that but that's what made it stunning. It was special and to know that each painting meant something different for someone else was beautiful. Those facts are the ones which made those paintings, that you find trivial, works of art and therefore, masterpieces" She explained knowingly. "I can't compare to someone whose brilliance was captured in a painting which represented someone else instead of themselves" 

"But isn't that the point of being an artist" The young king continued, "Everyone sees something completely different in the artwork, it's why we look at it. We see something different every time we glance at it. That's the reason this" Ben explains, gesturing towards the drawing, "is a masterpiece" 

"But I'm not just an artist" Mal complained, "I'm a queen. I became an artist in Auradon because I did not have the responsibility I have now -a whole island ready to listen to my every word simply because they believe in me- and in becoming an artist and spending hours upon hours and multiple days locked within my room, I exposed my true self onto a once blank canvas. I can't do that now because I reminded myself that I am a queen and rulers don't allow themselves the privilege of being their true self as we need to hide our weaknesses. That fact means that this isn't a masterpiece because I'm a queen, I hide things for a living" 

"And yet, I see you" Ben smiled. "I saw you even when you had blonde hair or wore pale dresses. You know that I believe in love at first sight -that I believe that when you find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, the universe tells you to do something about that- and I believe that I had that with you. I loved you the moment I saw you" Mal's gaze softened at the king's words, her mouth opening slowly to reply while Ben continued talking, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "And I love the version of you that first came to Auradon. Not the one with blonde hair or pale dresses; the girl with dark purple hair and ripped jeans, with a wicked grin and a sarcastic attitude that promised to give Grumpy a smile" Ben continued.  

"Is that me?" Mal questioned, self-consciously looking down towards the wooden flooring. She knew she changed -the growing need to be perfect confirmed her suspicions- and yet, Mal had hoped that her change was needed to protect her family in the strange and foreign kingdom they found themselves in. The strong sense of danger and unfamiliarity which greeted the four teenagers six months prior produced a large feeling of uneasiness and alienation, forcing changes and adjustments to be made by the leader in hopes of spearing the innocent teenagers the weird and uncomfortableness they had grown accustomed to during the short period between their arrival and the coronation.

While this protectiveness was admirable and Mal's concern for her siblings was commendable, the teenager had hoped that her family was the only reason she changed -the only reason leather jackets became pastel dresses, the only reason sarcastic grins were replaced with warm and comfortable smiles and the only reason the dream of world domination transformed into a fantasy about beautiful homes and loving families in Auradon- and yet, the daughter of Maleficent failed to believe her lie. She changed for Ben -for the young king that had unintentionally stolen her heart and gifted herself and her friends the freedom they had long hoped for- and Mal was unuse of the possibility of changing back, for that would mean losing Ben.  

"Is that all I am? A cold villain?" She continued weakly, momentarily taking into attention her fallen hair as it moved from behind her ears, creating an impenetrable shield around the teenager's features while her lips turned into an unsure frown. 

"Of course not" Ben exclaimed incredulously, thoughtfully reaching forward to move Mal's fallen hair back behind her ear, a soft smile playing on his lips when Mal automatically leaned into the young king's touch, her eyes fluttering closed at the familiar feeling of Ben's hand cupping her cheek gently, running soothing circles over the pale skin of her cheek. "You are _so_ much more than that, I promise. You were never cold, nor were you a villain. You are smart and kind, beautiful both inside and out and you have the regalness and strength of a queen, one that cannot be bested or broken.  You've guided your family through hell and even worse places than that, always taking the worst of the hits and always making sure that they are okay" The young king smiled, "You are the most selfless person I know, Mal. Words can't describe how great you are" 

"Then what did I turn into? When things calmed down after the coronation and I changed, what did I become if I transformed from someone who would do anything for their family? What is the opposite of that?" Mal asked softly, a wounded sigh escaping her parted lips. "Did I become some else?" 

"No" Ben denied, "I refuse to believe that the girl I fell in love with -the confident and loving girl I first met all those months ago- is gone forever. I know that you altered your hair and you hid a few things but you never once changed who you were inside, you _never_ became someone else" Mal's eyes filled with uncertainty, her lips pressed together in a firm frown as Ben removed his hand from her cheek, slotting it perfectly into Mal's hand before resting it against the teenagers thigh. "The girl I fell in love with is so incredibly brave and strong and selfless that no one could _ever_ make her change who she is. The girl I fell in love with is so perfectly imperfect that she gives me hope for a world where I am more than a king, but a boy who made the best decision of his life by falling in love with a girl, who shines like the evening stars" 

"Ben" Mal sighed, a small humourless laugh escaping her lips as her eyes filled with unshed tears while a beautiful smile transformed her pale lips, her hand momentarily squeezing Ben's hand. Subconsciously, Mal noted how  _right_ Ben's hand felt in hers; how the soft feeling of his gentle skin on her calloused hand created a sense of belonging as his thumb absentmindedly moved over her scarred knuckles. Mal seemed to cherish the simplistic moments between them -where their titles and legacies were forgotten and their connection radiated in waves around them, unforgiving to the surrounding people, and when their only enemy was the passing of time as it prevented the two soulmates from spending eternity locked in each others loving embrace, young and free under moonlight skies- and tender moments locked away in a secret part of the world, where no one could reach or interrupt them, were the purple-haired teenagers favourite.

In truth, Mal loved it when they were two different souls, dancing to the same melody.

"You may not believe me just yet" Ben shook his head softly, a small smile on his lips as he looked into Mal's emerald green eyes with seniority. "You may not believe that you were that beautifully confident girl I met months ago and you may believe that you expressing your emotions makes you weak or childish-" Mal lowed her head, her eyes closed softly as inadequate tears accumulated in her eyes. Ben's assumptions were accurate, Mal realised. He acknowledged how she felt -though he couldn't sympathise with her or offer any individual advice, he knew what it felt like to have a comprehensive kingdom anticipating his command- and while she knew that he noticed her changing and voiced his concern many times, no one could have stopped her. Mal changed to become perfect -a need which stemmed from her position on the Isle years before- and Ben understood that. Reaching forward, the young king cupped under Mal's chin, gently turning the teenager until she was looking at Ben, a small smile planted on the young king's lips. "-but I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you see exactly what I see when I look at you" 

"You make it sound so easy" Mal sighed, leaning against Ben's hand with a saddened frown.  

"It wouldn't be easy" Ben denied, "I can't guarantee that everything will be easy and on some days, we'll both want to give up and run away" Mal smiled weakly at the idea, "But I can promise you that I will do anything in my power to make you feel loved and cared for. I want you to be happy, I want to see your beautiful smile and gorgeous green eyes and stunning purple hair, I want to hear your laugh and I want to see you thrive and grow in Auradon. As long as you'll allow me" A deep blush settled on Mal's cheeks, small chuckles escaping her lips as tears fell freely down her features in soft waves. "We'll change your entire schedule, we'll add magic lessons with Evie and fencing lessons with Jay. You can bake with Carlos and if you want to do anything with Uma, Harry and Gil, then we'll add the lessons. I want you all to be happy, Mal, that's it" Ben promised. 

"No more meetings or interviews, no more paparazzi or condescending questions about evil, no more official diners with ridiculous expectations and no more rules" The young king continued, watching with inclusive worry as Mal's eyes continued to glitter under the dim light which filled the room. "You can do whatever you want, no more schedules. If you want to spend the day in the city centre with the group then go and if you want to return here every once in a while, then you can go" Mal's eyes shimmered with hope as she stared up at the king, her eyes tracing his features for any sigh of miscommunication. Discovering none, Mal smiled widely, the small river's flooding down her cheeks increasing in size as she unconsciously leaned into Ben's touch. 

"You sure?" Mal asked quietly, "I can come back at any time? Uma, Harry and Gil can come to?" Ben's heart broke in two as Mal's hopefull expression mixed with an undying sense of worry and disappointment as if the teenager expected the young teenager to lie and tease her with the impossible opportunity of freedom for her three trapped friends. "You promise?" 

"Of course" Ben sighed quietly, his unused hand moving to cup Mal's other cheek until the teenager's face was trapped between Ben's soft hands, a comfortable smile painted across Mal's lips. "Of course" He repeated louder, "I want them to come home with us if you're okay with it. And maybe, if you want, when you come back here for some time, we can come back together" He suggested shyly. 

"Really?" Mal asked, "You want to come back after everything that's happened? You'd be okay with us leaving for a bit and then coming back?" 

"Why shouldn't I be?" Ben asked, his thumb absentmindedly running against Mal's cheek. "You rule half of this island, you should visit it as much as you want to. I want to see all of this island. I want to see where you grew up, places you fell in love with at first sight and places that mean so much to you" Ben explained, "I want to know all of you, not just the Auradonian or Isle version of you. I want to know the vulnerable side of you and the caring side of you. If you allow me" 

"Of course" Mal sighed warmly, smiling widely as she placed her hands on top of Ben's, giggling madly at the loving expression on the king's features."Of course, I want you here with me. Forever and always" She promised.

"And I promise that you will never feel trapped again. I'll do everything in my power to let you be free" Ben guaranteed, smiling bashfully at the shocked expression painted within Mal's deep green eyes. Slowly removing his hand from her cheeks, Ben took Mal's hands in his and rested them against her knee, squeezing them softly as Mal breathed in shakily, vulnerability shinning in her tear-filled eyes. "I can't say that I understand what you're going through but if you want to explain, I'll listen" Ben smiled. "For probably the first time, I'm willing to admit that I didn't listen before and I don't want this relationship to end because I couldn't hear when my girlfriend needed me to. I want to listen" 

"How did you know that I felt trapped?" Mal questioned curiously. 

"Evie" Ben smiled as Mal shook her head, a small but meaningful smile on her lips. _Of course_ , Mal thought,  _Evie saw everything_.  "Evie told me months ago that you were spacing out a lot; looking out of the window in class, drawing more of the outside, painting the island and your old friend's. I didn't think much of it at the time -classes were boring, maybe you were tired- but now I realise what you were saying. That you were  _screaming_ at someone to listen and help. I'm sorry I didn't listen sooner" Ben apologised. 

"I know" Mal nodded sadly, "I know that I wasn't being the easiest to understand. I know that some days I am confident and strong and other days, I wish to curl myself into a ball and forget the outside world. I'm still learning about the new things in Auradon and I'm...scared to fail the people who rely on me" She admitted embarrassed, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "I'm difficult. One minute I'm staring outside the window with a reminiscing smile on his lips and then the next I am grinning and having a tea party with a bunch of princesses" The teenager explained, bashfully looking down at their conjoined hands. "What in that situation could ever make a person feel trapped?" Mal shrugged defensively. 

"Inside those classrooms, you acted like a princess. You studied hard and dedicated the majority of your time to learning the most important things in regards to my kingdom" Ben began, "And outside of school, on royal trips around the kingdom, you were treated like an outsider; like you did not belong simply because you came from another part of the world. Sadly, that is common in Auradon. My people don't like change and fear the repercussions that new people bring" A sudden flash of sadness crossed over Ben's features as he spoke but it vanished before Mal could comment of it. "So, of course, it's easy to say that you felt trapped. All of you must have felt confined" 

"Well, your people aren't exactly fire-breathing dragons" Mal smirked, "We could handle quite comments and empty promises" She guaranteed with fraud confidence, "I felt trapped but-" 

"But nothing" Ben denied, gently rubbing his thumb over Mal's knuckles. "We may not have fire-breathing dragons as citizens and perhaps the only danger you face in Auradon is fear of your tea being too hot to drink" Mal laughed softly, "But the fear of rejection is still the scariest part of life" 

"I can't speak for my siblings -Zeus knows, they loved Auradon and it's capabilities enough to try and improve it- but I do know that the constant teasing was the last straw" Mal explained, "It didn't matter that Auradon Prep was surrounded by forest or that we travelled everywhere we wanted to. I still felt like there was this invisible wall between me and freedom. I went to Auradon for independence -for the chance to be more than a queen of villains which is why I didn't tell anyone about it until a couple of months passed- and yet, it seemed that I was locked in a room with people who only saw me like a sheep in wolfs clothing" She explained.

"I don't think I can return, Ben, if that stays the same" Mal continued, "Stuck inside a castle, listening to people talk about the _gorgeous_ weather or the newest dresses when there is a whole world out there that's ripe for the taking" Mal's hand slipped out from beneath Ben's, resting on her stomach as she stood and walked over to the window and looked down at the dark alleys underneath the hideout, the usual thief rushing through the mysterious shadows under the pale glow of the stars from high above. Dark shadows danced across the brick walls which boarded the alley, the remaining flicker of dying candlelight dispersing through the streets as Mal leaned against the wall, her body turned to see the edges of the abounded stalls of the market place at the end of the road. 

"The group and I spent hours together when we got to Auradon when the idea of not getting the wand first entered our minds. We discussed everything -what we would all do if we succeed in our parents plan and what would change if we stayed in Auradon- and I learnt that no one truly wanted to give up this opportunity of freedom for parents that never truly cared for their children" Mal explained, gently laying her head on the wall beside her with a heavy sigh as she absentmindedly ran her hands over her bare hands. "There is a whole world out there, Ben. We want to see it all. All the beautiful landscapes and stunning works of architecture from centries before us and unlike anything on the Isle" 

"Did you know that Evie dreams of going to Russia to see the beautiful palaces the Grand Duchess Anastasia lives in?" Mal questioned rhetorically, "Or that Jay wishes to go to Agrabah to see where his father grew up before he became evil -to have the smallest part of closure we villain kids can have? Or that Carlos longs to go to the Dalmation Plantation in the countryside to write the wrongs his mother set with Anita, Roger and their dogs? Or that I dream of going to the Moors, to see the kingdom my mother once ruled with Aurora and the place which is my birthright as her daughter?" She continued. "I want my family to see all the places they wished to see ages ago and yet, six months have passed and only I have travelled outside the main city" 

"You want to explore?" Ben questioned, eyebrows pushed together in confusion. Due to his considerable status within Auradon, the young teenager had visited the preponderance of smaller countries in his kingdom before he finished middle school, spending holidays in Russia and long weekends in Agrabah with his parents throughout his childhood. The idea of travelling was trivial and often involved heavy amounts of work and time, allowing minimal time for himself and his family to relax, and yet the four teenagers dreamed of the very thing Ben despised. It once again proved how separate their two worlds were -one was filled with luxury and freedom while the other was forged from work and time spent perfecting their lifestyle- and how much Ben took for granted. 

"I want freedom" Mal corrected, "All those places -Russia, Agrabah, the countryside, the Moors- they mean something to us. Stuck inside those castle walls, waiting for  _something_ to happen, it was like a glorified version of the dome surrounding this place" Mal grumbled "I don't like being stuck, Ben. I don't like my friends praying that we can all go to those places and have to wait around for months on end simply because I can't find a break or stop acting fake" 

"I'm sorry" Ben apologised softly, watching as Mal turned and rested her chin on her shoulder, resting against the wall with a disheartened sigh. "I'm sorry you felt stuck or like a princess locked in a castle. I promise to not take things for granted-"

"But that's what I have been doing" Mal sighed, "I sound so ungrateful. Complaining about Auradon like it's the Isle. Auradon has given us so much Ben, please don't believe that I don't appreciate all you've done for me and my friends. Because of you, Evie's healthy and away from her mother, Jay doesn't need to steal to live and Carlos is happier then I've ever seen him" She continued with a smile. "I can look down the street and not see starving children, parents are starting to care for their children and buildings are better. That's on you, not me and I'm thankful" Mal promised sincerely.   

"I never once asked for your gratitude" Ben reminded the teenager gently, "I just want all of you happy but you need to tell me what to do" Ben explained. 

"I don't want to be the girl who has to tell the king what do to" Mal sighed heavily, "Imagine the reporters spin on that;' _Villain kid controls king with gateway magic_ '." She added sarcastically. 

"You're not controlling a king; you're telling your boyfriend what to do to help make things easier" Ben stood with a reassuring smile, slowly moving to the other side of the room as he held out his hands, sighing gratefully when Mal easily slipped her hand into his. "I promise that we'll work together from now on. No more emptiness" Ben promised. 

"That's all I want" Mal smiled, rushing forward with a happy smile as she wrapped her arms around Ben's middle, resting her head on his chest with a contented sigh. "I promise I'll try harder to show my feelings" She muttered against his chest, the soft feeling of the young king's arms around her shoulders a large comfort as they both stood silently, the fast flutters of Ben's heat radiating through Mal's ears. 

"I promise I'll try harder to listen" The young king guaranteed, gently running a soothing hand down the centre of Mal's back, smiling victoriously at the small shiver which ran uncontrollably down the purple-haired teenager's spine. Whispers of unfelt wind rang through the room, accompanied by the occasional creek of rotting pieces of debris from outside the hideout as the newly-reunited couple embraced each other. Moments pasted -each one as silent but treasured as the last- while the teenagers stayed rooted in their place, swaying subconsciously to the quickening beat of the young king's heart as he comfortably rested his chin against her purple hair. "Why don't we make a promise?" Ben broke the pleasant silence wrapped around them, mumbling against the crown of Mal's head as he placed a chaste kiss onto the pale skin. "That at least once a week, we have a date night. No talks of work or responsibilities; we're just teenagers on a date. I don't care if it's a picnic at the Enchanted Lake or a home movie night in the backyard of the castle. But it has to be us" 

"I like that idea," Mal mumbled against his shirt, the soft vibrations echoing through Ben's chest and mixing with the peaceful feeling in his enlightened soul, before she pulled back, automatically raising her hands to run through the young kings disordered hair. "I like that idea very much" She repeated, her emerald green eyes meeting Ben's as she leaned back. "But what the others?" 

"What do you think? What do you want me to do?" Ben asked, tentatively running his fingers over Mal's hips with a charming smile. 

"Evie's powers" Mal sighed, "I don't want her to be ashamed of them. They make her stronger then I could ever be, I want her to embrace it" She continued earnestly, drawing small circles onto the back of Ben's head as she uncautiously moved closer.   

"Then we add lessons" Ben decided quickly, "Not with Fairy Godmother -at least, not all of them- and not in the school" Mal unknowingly let out a small sigh of relief at the information, "But a couple of times a week, whenever you want, you and Evie can go somewhere - _anywhere_ \- and both of you practice your magic, as long as someone knows where you are so you're safe. I..." Ben hesitated, mindlessly pulling Mal closer as her arms tightened around his neck, "I want you safe" 

"I will be" Mal promised with a small but meaningful smile, her small dimples appearing at the side of her lips. "I _am_ safe, as long as I have you" 

"You'll always have me" He declared truthfully. 

"Thank you, Ben" Mal replied, "For everything you've done and will do" 

"It's nothing" He denied, "Is there anything else you wanted? Anything to help the others who are coming home with us?" 

"Maybe" Mal anxiously bit her lip, subconsciously twirling the loose strands of fallen hazel-brown hair between her fingers as she stepped closer, her chest comfortably pressed against his. "I don't know how much you know. I know Evie has been talking with you for a while about bringing over new kids" She continued, raising her gaze to meet Ben's as the young king nodded. 

"She mentioned it a lot, yes" Ben agreed, "I always put it off until a week ago. Uma was already on the list, as you know, but we barely had anyone else. What's this got to do with Evie?" Ben questioned. 

"Well, we all know children who would love to go to Auradon. Who would thrive in those conditions and who could do so much more then what they are doing now but...we all know this girl. She's young -barely eight years old- and she's the best person I know" Mal smiled warmly up at the king, her eyes shining with undoubted love as she talked. "She would love a chance and I think...I know it would greatly help not just Evie but the boys too and Uma, Harry and Gil. It would help us all in Auradon if she was to join us" 

"What's she like?" Ben questioned curiously, "How did you meet her?" 

"When I was young, my mother entrusted Lady Tremaine to look after me when my mother was too busy" Mal began, "When I was being looked after, Evie would always come to visit and learn how to sow and design by Lady Tremaine which is how we meet. We kept it a secret -obviously, our parents hated one another- but we soon became friends and always visited Lady Tremaine. Years passed and on Evie's birthday, she threw a party which I wasn't invited too because of her mother" Mal continued, "I was okay with it, we had planned to meet up later that night to celebrate, but my mother wasn't" 

"What happened?" 

"Evie and her mother were banished to the other side of the Isle for five years. And in those five years, I grew to hate her. She paired off with Carlos and Jay and I ruled the streets" Mal smile disappeared, turning into a soft frown as she spoke. "She went to school after those five years and I gave her such a hard time. I stuffed her in a closet with bear traps and almost made her sleep for a hundred years. I was terrible but we managed to get back on track and have been friends since then" Mal smiled. 

"Stuff like that bring people close?" Ben guessed, smiling when Mal nodded. 

"You have no idea" Mal sighed, "And in the middle of it all Lady Tremaine's daughter -Drizella- had a daughter and me and Evie both promised Lady Tremaine that we would help" Mal smiled. "Drizella didn't want to be a mother -not when she couldn't give her daughter the world she so rightfully deserved- so Lady Tremaine raised her. Obviously, Lady Tremaine was old and extremely busy -having also taken over control of the school that same year- so we all offered to help. When Evie and I put our differences aside we all promised to look after this kid and help her together. Granted, Evie did most of the work -like feeding her and washing her, making sure she was happy- so the boys and I mainly focused on looking after Lady Tremaine and supplying the family with things, like gifts on Christmas or stuff. Evie became like a mother to little Dizzy, they both loved each other immensely. She contemplated not going to Auradon because she was worried that Dizzy wouldn't be able to cope on her own" She continued. 

"What happened?" Ben questioned, "I mean...I know she left obviosuly" Ben stuttered adorably, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "But what happened to Dizzy?" 

"Well, Evie only agreed to leave if Oceana agreed to look after Dizzy." Ben nodded slowly in understanding. It was expected that Evie was so protective of someone she treated as a daughter -Ben understood how loving Evie was and silently agreed that the princess was the perfect person for the role of a mother- and that she would negotiate for precautions to be made when she inevitably left Dizzy. Ben couldn't name a more caring individual then the daughter of The Evil Queen. "Oceana agreed and Uma enlisted Harry and Gil to check up on her daily. Uma loves Dizzy just as much as we do, she didn't trust anyone but her first and second mate to look after Little Dizzy when she herself couldn't" 

"That's why this would help Uma and her crew as well? She also loves Dizzy" Ben guessed.  

"Thanks to her and Oceana, Dizzy has received the best education that she could have. She learnt how to fight and how to act like a princess and she learnt business and negotiations" Mal complimented, "She's the sweetest and if not for Uma and her family then...I'm not sure we would have ever come to Auradon. Dizzy would have been unprotected and I dread to think what could have happened if-" 

"-But it didn't. Nothing happened." Ben reassured the teenager, his form tense as Mal slipped her arms from around Ben's neck and moved them around his torso, placing her head on his chest with a contented sigh. Ben wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling Mal closer to him as she smiled into his loving embrace. "Why don't you go see her tomorrow? Bring her back here and we'll take her back home with us. She'll be safe and have her family again and maybe, can come back here all the time in the future when you return, to see Lady Tremaine? She will have her family and Evie and Uma and everyone else will be okay" Ben promised, the ticklish feeling of his shirt moving against his skin alerting him to the large smile growing on Mal's face. 

"You're not coming too to see her?" Mal questioned. 

"I don't know" Ben denied, "I wanted to ask Uma if I could go see her sister before leaving. But if you want to come to see Her Majesty as well then maybe we can go and then on the way home, get Dizzy" Ben suggested. 

"Okay," Mal agreed, "I like that idea. But maybe...maybe we can tell Uma and Harry -they'll be with us so they'll know if we went to Dizzy's- but we don't tell anyone else. Let this be a surprise. A kinda...apology for running away on my part" Mal shrugged, lifting her head to see into Ben's hazel coloured eyes. 

"Mal, I meant every word I just said" Ben promised, absentmindedly raising his hand to gently play with the ends of Mal's purple hair. "I don't care that you left, I'm just happy that you're okay and that you want to come back" He promised. 

"Did you mean what you said in Auradon?" Mal questioned, her voice low and quiet in the otherwise silent room. "That you loved me? Truly loved me?" 

"Since our first date at The Enchanted Lake, I have known that I loved you. Never doubt that I love you" Ben promised, gently cupping Mal's cheek with his hand as they both gazed into the eyes of each other. Mal's expression became unreadable as she looked up at the young king, her eyes seemingly searching his as he calmly continued his movements, a simple smile on his lips as Ben gazed down at the purple-haired teenager with utter devotion. Seemingly finding what she was looking for, Mal's gaze falls to the king's lips, a silent question shining in her eyes as the dark green orbs fluttered up to meet Ben's hazel coloured eyes. 

Ben smiled breathlessly and began to lean up as the daughter of Maleficent moved up, resting on her tip-toes as their lips brushing against each other for a tender moment before the latter fully connected their lips. Undeniable tension filled the room as their lips moulded into one another, locking perfectly while Mal's nails gently racked against the young king's side, his own hands wrapping around her small torso as they held onto one another. Heat swamped through their bodies and unknown passion ran through Mal's veins, setting her body on fire which burnt bright within her pale skin as Ben sighed, his body copying Mal's reaction. Sighs escaped the two's lips as they slowly leaned back, Mal's lips tainted a darker shade of pink as she breathed heavily, her chest still pressed against the young kings. 

"I know I shouldn't say it" Mal whispered, her lips gently brushing against the young kings, "I know that after everything, we should take a step back and think but...I'm done with thinking" Mal smiled warmly at him, the gentle feeling of Ben's hand leaving her check and moving to redirect a piece of Mal's fallen purple hair creating a deep feeling of devotion and love settle at the bottom of Mal's stomach. "I love you" Mal revealed in a whispered tone, a large smile forming on her lips. "I've known for some time -it was the thing that stopped me from leaving months ago- and yet I was too afraid to say anything. I love you, and I want everyone to know...if you allow me" Mal grinned, her cheeks now coloured a rosy shade of red. 

"I love you too" Ben replied with a happy smile, "And I'm sorry for everything. I want you to come back with us tomorrow. So we can finally sort through this and be..." Ben hesitated, his fingers absentmindedly playing with the end part of Mal's hair, which the young king had corrected moments prior, as he looked down at the daughter of Maleficent. 

"Teenagers?" Mal guessed, smiling softly when the young king nodded and smiled gratefully, happy that Mal understood his implications. "I know the feeling" Mal smiled, "I want to come back...I want to try again" Mal confirmed, gently brushing her nose against the young kings with a large sigh.

Ben nodded thankfully, his lips gently brushing against Mal's. "I want us to live normal and happy lives together but we can only do that if we try" 

"Then I promise to try" The teenager whispered as her palm rested perfectly against Ben's chest, the steady beating lulling the purple-haired teenager into a tranquil state as the melodious vibration pounded against her palm.  

"And I promise to try as well" Ben agreed. Mal sighed heavily as she smiled, leaning up to rest her head under Ben's chin as she moved to curl into the young king. Ben wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, large smiles plastered on both of their faces as they cuddled together in the centre of the room. "Are you going to fall asleep against me?" Ben questioned incredulously with a teasing smile as Mal snuggled closer to him, a rare sign of vulnerability. 

"Does the alternative involve moving?" Mal questioned tiredly. 

"Yea" Ben nodded, laying a gentle kiss onto the top of Mal's purple hair, "But we get to snuggle together on the comfy bed beside us if you want" He compromised. "If you want of course" 

"I just confused how much I love you and then you become charming and considerate and my love for you grows" Mal smirked, leaning against the king as he effortlessly began to move her to the bed, pulling back the covers with practised ease. The young king had spent countless hours tucking his girlfriend into bed after a lengthy and exhausting meeting with Evie about various details of the kingdom, simultaneously directing an exhausted daughter of The Evil Queen into the bathroom to take off her makeup. Ben had mastered the ability of both comforting his girlfriend while also looking after a sleepy Evie. 

Ben eased Mal down onto the bed and began to pull back the covers, stopping only when Mal's hand reached out to grab his arm, retaining his attention as he looked into her tired eyes. "What are you doing?" She questioned, pouting adorably. 

"Tucking you in and staying here until you fall asleep" Ben replied instantly. 

"But, there is more than enough room for two people" Mal shrugged, a look of faked indifference painted onto her features. "You could stay in my room and we could have that cuddle you talked about" She added, "Only if you want to though." 

"Of course I do" Ben smiled, "But I don't want you uncomfortable" Ben replied. Mal shook her head with a smile and began to move, scooting further onto the bed and leaving a large gap which could easily fit the bewildered king. While he was hoping that he would get to snuggle up to the love of his life -especially after she openly returned his affections- he did understand that Mal wished to take things slowly into their relationship, as they had been doing for the past six months in Auradon. 

"You're not making me uncomfortable" Mal promised, " _Please_ " She begged, reaching her hand over the gap in the bed to gently pull Ben to his feet. 

"Okay," He relented, pulling the covers back further and settling his legs under the warm covers. Immediately pulling Ben closer, the young king had little time to place his head on the pillow before Mal curled into his side, comfortably resting her head over his beating heart as her arms encircled his torso, smiling widely at the firm hand which wrapped around her hip when Ben had got complacent.

"You okay?" Mal murmured against his shirt.  

"I'm fine"  _Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't move for the world_. "Get some rest, okay? We're leaving tomorrow" The king commanded softly before a soft pair of lips pressed against his lips quickly, leaving only so Mal could replace her head onto his chest and sigh contently as her eyes fluttered closed. Deep crimson stained his cheeks as Ben tightened his grip on his girlfriend, pulling her closer to him with a small sigh the fluttering feeling of love fill his body as he closed his own eyes, preparing for his night of peaceful rest. 

Soon they both fell asleep, rested in the centre of Mal's large, purple bed and surrounded by the dark lighting of the night as heavy breaths filled the otherwise silent room. Hours later, when the sun rose to rest in the centre of the sky in the early morning, Carlos entered the room with a large smile and intent of waking up the purple-haired teenager for breakfast.

 


End file.
